- Federal prosecutors accused a
New York man of threatening to kill former PresidentDonald Trump . - Authorities allege Thomas Welnicki left voicemails with the
Secret Service saying that he would do "anything" to "take out" Trump.
Federal prosecutors accused a New York man of threatening to kill former President Donald Trump — leaving voicemails with the US Secret Service saying that he would do "anything" to "take out" the then-commander-in-chief, according to a newly unsealed criminal complaint.
The 72-year-old Queens man, Thomas Welnicki, "knowingly and willfully threatened to kill, kidnap, and inflict bodily harm upon a former President," according to the complaint, which was filed in the Eastern District of New York and unsealed on Monday.
The court documents do not name Trump, but instead identify him as "Individual-1" and say in a footnote that he served as president of the United States from January 20, 2017 to January 20, 2021.
The complaint claims that in January 2021, Welnicki called the Secret Service's Long Island office from his cell phone and left two voicemail messages threatening to kill Trump, along with 12 unidentified members of Congress who he believed "backed" Trump.
Welnicki claimed there was a $350,000 reward out to kill Trump and those 12 Congress members, according to prosecutors.
"I am going to do anything I can to take out [Trump]. Oh yeah that's a threat, come and arrest me. I will do anything I can to take out [Trump] and his 12 monkeys," Welnicki allegedly said in a voicemail, according to the complaint. "If I had the opportunity to do it in Manhattan that would be awesome…Tomorrow [Trump] will be in Georgia, maybe I will."
In another voicemail, Welnicki stated that he would "aid and abet anyone that would shoot" Trump and any of the 12 Congress members, the court papers say.
Welnicki again called the Secret Service in November 2021, identified himself by name, and repeatedly referred to Trump as "Hilter," according to the complaint.
"I will do everything I can to make sure [Trump] is dead," Welnicki said, the court papers state.
In a call to the Secret Service the next month, Welnicki stated, "The new Civil war could break out and taking up arms against the government is justified when the ballots don't matter," the complaint says.
Prosecutors also allege that Welnicki told US Capitol Police during a July 2020 voluntary interview that he would "acquire weapons" and "take him down" if Trump lost the 2020 presidential election and "refused to step down."
The complaint alleges that Welnicki "bragged" about "how easy" it was for him to get a firearm and claimed, "I don't want to hurt anyone, but I will stand up to fascism."
"I really hope that God takes [Trump] out," Welnicki said by the end of the interview, according to the court papers.
Welnicki was arrested Monday morning, according to a spokesman for the US Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York.
An attorney representing Welnicki did not immediately respond to a request for comment.