Butler Man Pleads Guilty to Threatening Trump, ICE Agents in Online Posts

A Butler, Pennsylvania, man pleaded guilty on April 13 in federal court to threatening to assault and murder President Donald Trump, other U.S. officials, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Pennsylvania said.

Shawn Monper, 33, admitted before U.S. District Judge W. Scott Hardy to two counts of threatening federal officials with intent to impede, intimidate, interfere with, and retaliate against them in the performance of their official duties. Under the plea agreement, Monper also accepted responsibility for the additional counts for which he was charged.

Each count carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, or both.

An attorney for Monper did not immediately return a request for comment. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Aug. 12.

The investigation began on April 8, 2025, when the FBI’s National Threat Operations Section received an emergency disclosure about a series of threatening posts on YouTube from an account using the name “Mr Satan,” according to the Justice Department office. Investigators traced the online activity to Monper’s residence in Butler County.

Monper posted the threats between Jan. 15 and April 5, 2025. In February, he wrote: “Nah, we just need to start killing people, Trump, Elon, all the heads of agencies Trump appointed, and anyone who stands in the way.” The following month, he posted: “ICE are terrorist people, we need to start killing them.” Those two statements formed the specific basis for the counts to which Monper pleaded guilty.

Investigators also documented an escalating pattern of weapons acquisition. In February, Monper commented: “I have bought several guns and been stocking up on ammo since Trump got in office.” Weeks later, he posted: “Eventually im [sic] going to do a mass shooting.” By late March, he wrote: “I have been buying 1 gun a month since the election, body armor, and ammo.”

Records confirmed he had obtained a firearms permit shortly after Trump’s inauguration. He was arrested on April 9, 2025, and has remained in custody since. The FBI and Butler Township Police Department jointly conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brendan J. McKenna is prosecuting the case on behalf of the government.

The case carries particular resonance given its location. Butler is the same Pennsylvania town where, on July 13, 2024, a gunman failed to assassinate Trump during a campaign rally at the Butler Farm Show grounds, wounding the then-candidate and killing Corey Comperatore, a firefighter who died shielding his family.

Federal prosecutors have emphasized that threats against public officials are treated as serious criminal matters regardless of whether a defendant has the demonstrated means to act on them.