33-Year-Old Toledo Man Charged with Threatening VP Vance and Possessing Child Sexual Abuse Material
U.S. Vice President JD Vance walks toward the West Wing of the White House ahead of President Donald Trump's meeting with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, in Washington, D.C., U.S., November 7, 2025. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst
By Michael Katz | Friday, 06 February 2026 09:44 PM EST
A 33-year-old man from Toledo, Ohio, was charged with threatening to kill Vice President JD Vance during a January visit to northwest Ohio, the Department of Justice announced Friday.
Shannon Mathre has been charged with making a threat to take the life of, and to inflict bodily harm upon, a successor to the presidency.
While investigating the alleged threats against Vance, federal agents discovered multiple digital files of child sexual abuse material in Mathre’s possession. Prosecutors also charged Mathre with receiving and distributing child sexual abuse material.
Mathre made his initial court appearance Friday before a U.S. magistrate judge in the Northern District of Ohio. He remains in custody pending a detention hearing scheduled for February 11.
Attorney General Pam Bondi said, “Our attorneys are vigorously prosecuting this disgusting threat against Vice President Vance. You can hide behind a screen, but you cannot hide from this Department of Justice.”
If convicted on the first charge, Mathre faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a fine of $250,000. If convicted on the second charge, he faces a maximum of 20 years in prison and a fine of $250,000.
According to the indictment, Mathre allegedly stated, “I am going to find out where he [the vice president] is going to be and use my M14 automatic gun and kill him.” Mathre was arrested Friday by the Secret Service.
Prosecutors alleged that between December 31, 2025, and January 21, 2026, Mathre engaged in the receipt and distribution of images that visually depict minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct.
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said, “While arresting this man for allegedly threatening to murder the Vice President of the United States, a serious crime in and of itself, federal law enforcement discovered that he was also in possession of child sexual abuse materials. Thank you to federal, state and local partners in working together to bring justice twofold to this depraved individual.”
Michael Katz is a reporter with more than 30 years of experience reporting and editing on news, culture, and politics.
