Phoenix man arrested, accused of online death threats against president, vice president

A man was arrested Wednesday in Phoenix and accused of making online death threats against President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris and now faces several federal charges.

David Michael Hanson, 41, reportedly used a social media platform in November and December of 2023 to post threats to murder the president and vice president of the United States, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Arizona.

The U.S. Secret Service spoke to Hanson after seeing the series of threatening online statements he made on Nov. 19 and let him know it was a federal crime to post such threats, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

One of the posts stated “#joeAndKamala I’m asking you to resign on Monday your alternative is death brutally murdered," according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

Hanson continued to make similar threats toward the president and vice president in another series of posts on Dec. 23, 2023, despite the warning, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

On Tuesday, Hanson was charged in a federal criminal complaint with five counts of threats against the president and successors to the presidency, as well as five counts of interstate communication of threats, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

Each count of threats against the president and successors to the presidency carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and up to three years of supervised release. The same penalties apply to each count of interstate communication of threats.

Hanson's case is currently under investigation by the Secret Service. If and when his case goes to trial, it will be prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Arizona.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Phoenix man accused of making death threats against Biden, Harris