A Winthrop Harbor man was sentenced to 38 months in federal prison after a jury found he posted Instagram videos that prosecutors say threatened to kill President Donald Trump and other public officials. The conviction capped an investigation that pulled in the U.S. Secret Service and local law enforcement and centered on a series of posts tied to the defendant’s pending foreclosure, court records show. Authorities said the online posts included repeated calls for violence and a separate courthouse threat during a foreclosure hearing.
Judge hands down sentence
U.S. District Judge Sharon Johnson Coleman imposed the 38-month term after the March conviction. Reporting from the Chicago Sun-Times says prosecutors had pushed for a longer sentence and that the judge weighed free-speech concerns against public safety before deciding how much prison time to impose.
Secret Service and local SWAT executed arrest
The U.S. Secret Service led the protective-intelligence probe and, with the Lake County Sheriff’s Office, executed search and arrest warrants at the man’s Winthrop Harbor home in early November, according to FOX 32 Chicago. Local coverage described a SWAT team taking the suspect into custody without incident.
What prosecutors relied on at trial
Prosecutors pointed to court filings and testimony showing the defendant posted an Oct. 16, 2025 selfie-style video saying he would "get some guns" and declaring that "Trump should be executed," then reposted the clip repeatedly, according to the criminal complaint. The filings say he also told a Lake County judge during a foreclosure hearing that he would burn the courthouse down, and jurors convicted him of transmitting a true threat in interstate commerce.
The statute prosecutors used
Federal prosecutors charged the case under 18 U.S.C. § 875(c), which criminalizes transmitting threats in interstate commerce and authorizes up to five years in prison. Cornell LII explains the statute and how courts distinguish "true threats" from protected political speech.
How this fits a wider pattern
Federal and local authorities have in recent months moved quickly on social-media posts that appear to threaten protectees, and vowed to "hunt" a Secret Service agent and "shoot up" an office was how a similar April case involving a Chicago man was described. Local outlets say such posts are prioritized because they can be viewed anywhere and can escalate quickly, prompting immediate protective measures.
Schneider remains in federal custody as he begins serving the sentence, according to CBS Chicago. Prosecutors said the case underscores that threats against public officials will be investigated and can result in substantial federal penalties.
