An Oklahoma man is facing federal charges after allegedly making threats against elected Republicans on social media, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Western District of Oklahoma.
Tyler Jay Marshall, 36, has been charged with transmitting in interstate commerce a communication containing a threat after allegedly using Twitter to issue death threats to multiple Republican leaders including, Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt, Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, the press release read.
Enid Man Charged with Threatening to Kill Government Officials https://t.co/6DISxNXBXD
— U.S. Attorney WDOK (@USAO_WDOK) May 23, 2023
Charges were brought against Marshall after the FBI received a tip on May 15 that Marshall was making threats towards public officials on social media, The Oklahoman reported. (RELATED: ‘Hope You Get Gutted’: Conservative Students Face Threats After Trying To Show Daily Wire Documentary On Campus)
In response to a Mother’s Day tweet from Stitt, which featured the governor’s family, Marshall allegedly threatened to shoot them, The Oklahoman reported, citing an affidavit for an arrest warrant. Marshall also allegedly wrote “I’ll see you dead in your home” in response to a tweet from DeSantis, the outlet stated.
When confronted by FBI officials on May 19, Marshall allegedly admitted to creating a Twitter account while drunk for the purpose of trolling people “like senators” online, The Oklahoman reported. The account has since been deleted. When confronted with one of his tweets, in which he allegedly indicated his desire to shoot Cruz, Marshall replied “I would never do that” and “I don’t have a gun,” the outlet reported.
Marshall made his initial appearance in an Oklahoma City federal court on May 23. If convicted, Marshall faces up to five years in federal prison, a fine of $250,000 and a special assessment of $100. Additionally, Marshall would be required to serve a term of supervised release, lasting up to three years, upon his release from prison, the press release stated.