Published Jul 17, 2026, 4:37 PM EDT
Former Marine and congressional candidate William Upham faces a federal charge for allegedly threatening to kill President Trump.
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Published Jul 17, 2026, 4:37 PM EDT
William Lintag Upham, a former Marine officer and qualified congressional write-in candidate, was arrested and charged on July 16 with threatening to kill President Donald Trump. The charges announced by the Justice Department came after federal agents reviewed social media videos in which Upham allegedly called for the administration’s violent overthrow. Upham, 35, appeared in federal court in Jacksonville, Fla., and a judge ordered him detained. He faces up to five years in federal prison if convicted. He is presumed innocent as prosecutors have filed only a criminal complaint. Florida election records identify Upham as a qualified Republican write-in candidate for the U.S. House in Florida’s 5th Congressional District. He filed his candidacy April 28 and qualified June 9 for the Nov. 3 general election. He is also a former state prosecutor. The Secret Service began investigating after receiving two reports July 14 about posts connected to the “uphamforcongress” Instagram account. One report came from an anonymous caller. The other came through the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and described a veteran posting videos in uniform, calling Trump the "Antichrist" while discussing weapons and combat tactics.
