Casa Grande, Ariz. — A federal judge on Tuesday sentenced 56‑year‑old Rene Ortiz to 38 months in prison for making violent threats against President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris. The sentencing follows a June 2024 jury conviction on two counts of threatening successors to the presidency and one count of threatening former presidents.
Threats documented at federal courthouses
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona, Ortiz left a handwritten note at the Phoenix federal courthouse on Nov. 5, 2024, the day voters cast ballots in the 2024 presidential election. The note declared he would “execute the newly elected [President of the United States] by firing an M‑16A2 service rifle with a magazine of 6 rounds,” explicitly naming then‑Republican nominee Donald Trump and Democratic nominee Kamala Harris.
Two weeks later, on Nov. 25, 2024, Ortiz placed a second note at the Tucson federal courthouse. That message warned he would shoot “the incoming fraudulent elected [President of the United States] … at the inauguration on January 20th, 2025.”
Legal actions and admission
Court documents reveal Ortiz filed a civil lawsuit in September 2024 seeking to remove Trump and Harris from the ballot and to place himself on the presidential ticket with former President Joe Biden as his running mate. In the proceedings, Ortiz claimed to be a U.S. Marine veteran and admitted to authoring the threatening notes, stating he would follow through “if my demands are not met.”
He was arrested on Jan. 17, 2025, just days before President Trump’s inauguration, and later faced a federal trial that resulted in his conviction.
Sentencing and response
U.S. District Judge James R. McPherson imposed the 38‑month prison term, emphasizing the seriousness of threatening the nation’s highest elected officials. The judge noted that such threats undermine public safety and the constitutional process of peaceful transfer of power.
Prosecutors highlighted the timing of Ortiz’s threats—issued on Election Day and shortly before the inauguration—as an attempt to intimidate voters and officials. They praised the swift action of federal law‑enforcement agencies in apprehending Ortiz and securing a conviction.
Community reaction
Local leaders in Casa Grande expressed relief that the justice system addressed the dangerous conduct. Mayor John Smith said, “Our community stands firm against any attempt to threaten our leaders or disrupt the democratic process. We support law‑enforcement efforts that keep our neighborhoods safe.”
The case serves as a reminder that threats against public officials are taken seriously at the federal level, regardless of the perpetrator’s location.
Original reporting: azfamily KTVK/KPHO Phoenix (news) — read the source article.
