Shawn Monper, a 33-year-old Butler resident, pleaded guilty Monday in federal court to two counts of threatening to assault and murder United States officials, including President Donald Trump and federal immigration agents. As part of the deal, he accepted responsibility for the remaining counts in the indictment, and U.S. District Judge W. Scott Hardy set sentencing for Aug. 12. Prosecutors say the case began with a string of YouTube comments that included explicit threats and boasts about buying guns and ammunition, all traced back to Monper’s Butler address.
Plea, Online Posts and How the Case Began
According to federal prosecutors, the FBI’s National Threat Operations Section received an emergency disclosure from Google-owned YouTube on April 8, 2025, about an account calling itself “Mr Satan.” Investigators linked that account to Monper’s residence in Butler. The U.S. Attorney’s Office says the comments, posted between Jan. 15 and April 5, 2025, ranged from talk of an “American Revolution 2.0” to explicit threats, including a mid-March post that read in part, “ICE are terrorist people, we need to start killing them.”
Prosecutors also say Monper obtained a firearms permit shortly after President Trump’s inauguration and posted online that he had been buying guns and stockpiling ammunition, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office, Western District of Pennsylvania.
Arrest, Weapons and the Plea Deal
The FBI, assisted by the Butler Township Police Department, arrested Monper on April 9, 2025. Court filings and local reports say agents seized multiple handguns he had purchased in February and March of that year. The original federal indictment listed eight counts before Monper agreed to plead guilty to two of them, and court documents show he has been held in custody since his arrest.
As part of the plea agreement, Monper will forfeit two pistols and a rifle, according to WTAE.
Legal Stakes and What Comes Next
Monper admitted to counts alleging that he threatened to assault and murder U.S. officials and federal law enforcement officers with the intent to impede, intimidate, interfere with, and retaliate while those officials were performing their duties. Each count carries a statutory maximum of up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000, though the actual sentence will be shaped by federal sentencing guidelines.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office says Assistant U.S. Attorney Brendan J. McKenna is prosecuting the case and that sentencing is set for Aug. 12, 2026, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office, Western District of Pennsylvania.
Butler on Edge After Rally Shooting
Butler had already drawn national attention after the July 13, 2024, shooting at a nearby Trump rally, an incident that investigators and congressional reviewers characterized as an attempted assassination. That episode prompted lawmakers and federal agencies to keep revisiting security protocols around political events, according to the AP.
Last May, Hoodline detailed Monper’s earlier indictment in coverage that highlighted how online threats tied to weapons purchases can trigger emergency disclosures and swift federal action, as reported in earlier indictment coverage.
Monper’s lawyer with the Federal Public Defender’s Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment, Bloomberg Law reported. Monper remains detained while he waits for the August 2026 sentencing hearing.
