Particle.news
Download on the App Store
14 ARTICLES
·
1h ago

DOJ Charges San Diego Man With Mailing Death Threat to Benny Johnson

Federal officials cast the arrest as a warning against escalating political threats after Charlie Kirk’s killing.

Image
Conservative host Benny Johnson speaks during a news conference after the arrest of a suspect for politically motivated threats to his family, in Tampa, Fla., on Friday, Oct. 10, 2025. (Luis Santana/Tampa Bay Times via AP)
In this screengrab taken from a video, Attorney General Pam Bondi host a press conference alongside conservative podcaster Benny Johnson, third from left, in Tampa, Florida, on Friday, October 10, 2025.
Benny Johnson speaks at a memorial for conservative activist Charlie Kirk, Sunday, Sept. 21, 2025, at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz.

Overview

  • George Russell Isbell Jr., 69, was arrested Oct. 7 in San Diego and charged via criminal complaint with mailing a threatening communication to Johnson’s Tampa home.
  • Prosecutors say the handwritten letter referenced Kirk and included violent language such as hoping the American flag “strangles the life out of you” and that “maybe someone will blow your head off.”
  • Investigators from the FBI, Tampa Police, FDLE, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and San Diego authorities traced the mailing to California and matched fingerprints from the envelope to Isbell.
  • The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida is handling the case, and if convicted Isbell faces a statutory maximum of five years in federal prison.
  • The DOJ emphasized a broader crackdown on political threats, with Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel condemning the rhetoric, while Johnson publicly thanked President Trump, Bondi, and the department.