A federal aviation employee has been arrested and charged with threatening to assassinate President Trump just days after the most recent attempt on his life. Dean DelleChiaie, a 35-year-old mechanical engineer with the FAA based in Nashua, New Hampshire, now faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine for communicating interstate threats after sending a chilling email directly to the White House.
Work Computer Searches Revealed Assassination Plot
Federal authorities discovered that DelleChiaie used his FAA work computer to conduct disturbing searches that targeted President Trump. According to court documents, the searches included ways to kill the president, how to smuggle firearms into federal facilities, previous assassination attempts, and the phrase “I am going to kill Donald John Trump.” He also researched public sentiment about removing Trump from office. Despite these alarming discoveries during a February Secret Service interview where he admitted to the threats, DelleChiaie remained free for months.
During the February interview, DelleChiaie told Secret Service officers he was depressed, undergoing therapy, regularly consuming alcohol, and using marijuana and other drugs. Rather than being detained, he was allowed to continue his daily life, which proved to be a dangerous mistake as his threats escalated in the following weeks.
Direct Threat Sent to White House Email
On April 21, DelleChiaie allegedly transmitted a direct threat across state lines to the White House email address using his personal account. The subject line read “Contact the President,” and the message stated: “I, Dean DelleChiaie, am going neutralize/kill you—Donald John Trump—because you decided to kill kids—and say that it was War—when in reality—it is terrorism. God knows your actions and where you belong.” Federal prosecutors say this interstate communication constitutes a federal crime punishable by significant prison time.
Pattern of Escalating Threats Against Trump
This arrest comes less than two weeks after a separate individual attempted to attack President Trump and administration members at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner. Additionally, a Pennsylvania Democratic Senate candidate was arrested just last week for threatening to kill President Trump and members of Congress. The pattern of escalating threats against the president has raised serious concerns about security protocols and the response time of federal authorities when credible threats are identified but suspects remain at large.
DelleChiaie appeared in court on Tuesday and has been assigned a public defender. If convicted on all charges, he faces a maximum sentence of five years in federal prison and up to a $250,000 fine. The case highlights ongoing security challenges facing the Trump administration and questions about why someone who admitted to making threats against the president in February was allowed to remain free for two additional months before being formally charged.