Overview
- U.S. District Judge Paul L. Maloney sentenced James Donald Vance Jr., 67, in Kalamazoo and described the offense as “grievous conduct.”
- Prosecutors said Vance used the Bluesky handle “Diaperjdv” in March and April to threaten to kill the president, the vice president, and one of the president’s children; court records also quote posts naming Elon Musk and Donald Trump Jr.
- Vance pleaded guilty to two felonies—threatening to kill or injure the President and Vice President and transmitting interstate threats—each carrying maximum penalties of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
- The Grand Rapids office of the U.S. Secret Service investigated the case, and the Detroit field office chief warned that threats against protectees “will not be tolerated.”
- Officials noted this was the district’s second recent prison sentence for threats against the President, citing an Oct. 20 case that drew an 18-month term.