Federal prosecutors say a Florida man is facing serious charges after allegedly sending disturbing threats to assassinate President Donald Trump — and investigators claim the suspect later admitted he had been trying to get arrested for months.
Markus E. Hamlett, 46, was taken into custody on Feb. 4 after authorities traced a series of threatening emails sent roughly a year earlier. Federal agents say the messages contained violent language targeting the president and triggered an investigation involving the U.S. Secret Service.
Hamlett was booked into the Santa Rosa County Jail before appearing in federal court in Pensacola earlier this week.
Prosecutors say the case is now moving forward in the Northern District of Florida, where Hamlett has been formally indicted on charges related to threatening the president of the United States. If convicted, he could face up to five years in federal prison.
According to investigators, Hamlett made a bizarre admission when questioned about the alleged threats.
Authorities say he told them he had been “sending emails and making phone calls for a year trying to get arrested.”
Officials have not publicly released the full content of the emails, but federal prosecutors described the communications as violent threats directed at the president.
“This case was investigated by the United States Secret Service and the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida said in a statement. “The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Christopher C. Patterson.”
Hamlett is scheduled to return to court for trial on April 6.
The case comes as security concerns surrounding Trump remain high following multiple assassination threats in recent years.
The most shocking incident occurred on July 13, 2024, when gunfire erupted during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. A bullet grazed Trump’s ear during the attack, while 50-year-old Corey Comperatore was killed after shielding others from the gunfire.
Secret Service agents quickly responded, and the suspected gunman, 20-year-old Thomas Crooks, was shot and killed by a counter-sniper moments after the attack began.
Authorities later revealed that the rally shooting was not the only plot targeting Trump.
In September 2024, another suspect — Ryan Wesley Routh — was arrested near Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach. Investigators said Routh had been hiding in nearby shrubbery with a rifle while waiting for Trump to arrive.
A handwritten note later discovered by investigators appeared to confirm the intent.
“To the World,” the message read. “This was an assassination attempt on Donald Trump, but I am so sorry I failed you.”
Routh was convicted in 2025 and sentenced to life in prison.
U.S. intelligence officials have also warned about potential foreign plots targeting Trump.
In late 2024, the Justice Department charged Farhad Shakeri, described as an asset linked to the Iranian regime, with allegedly coordinating assassination efforts against the then president-elect.
Former Attorney General Merrick Garland said at the time that Iranian operatives were directing criminal networks to carry out attacks against American targets — including Trump.
Trump himself has repeatedly warned that foreign governments could attempt to eliminate him.
“If they did that, they would be obliterated,” the president said during a 2025 interview. “That would be the end. I’ve left instructions.”
Earlier this year, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth claimed Shakeri had been located and killed following escalating tensions with Iran.
“Iran tried to kill President Trump,” Hegseth said. “And President Trump got the last laugh.”
For now, federal prosecutors say the focus remains on Hamlett’s alleged threats and the disturbing claim that he spent months attempting to provoke his own arrest.
His trial is expected to begin in April.
