Federal agents investigating a chilling assassination threat against Vice President JD Vance have uncovered depraved child sexual abuse material (CSAM) on the suspect’s devices, leading to dual charges that highlight the Trump administration’s unyielding commitment to law and order. Shannon Mathre, a 33-year-old from Toledo, Ohio, was arrested on February 6, 2026, following a federal grand jury indictment for threatening to kill the vice president and possessing child pornography, the Department of Justice announced the next day.
The threat surfaced on January 21, 2026, just before Vance’s scheduled visit to Northwest Ohio alongside Republican Sen. Jon Husted and Ohio gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy. Mathre allegedly vowed to track Vance and use an “M14 automatic gun” to execute him during the event, per local reports. While scrutinizing evidence tied to the threat, investigators discovered multiple files depicting minors in sexually explicit acts, distributed and received between December 31, 2025, and January 21, 2026.
Mathre pleaded not guilty at his initial appearance and remains detained pending a February 11 hearing. Conviction could mean up to five years for the threat and 20 years for the CSAM charges. Attorney General Pamela Bondi declared: “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.” Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche added: “While arresting this man for allegedly threatening to murder the Vice President… 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.”
This case follows recent vandalism at Vance’s Cincinnati home and a separate threat to bomb him at a theme park, underscoring escalating dangers to conservative leaders amid leftist radicalism.