A federal aviation engineer faces up to five years in prison after authorities arrested him for threatening to assassinate President Trump, marking the latest in a disturbing pattern of violent threats against the commander-in-chief that has escalated since the recent White House Correspondents’ Dinner attack attempt.

Federal Employee Used Work Computer for Death Threats

Dean DelleChiaie, a 35-year-old mechanical engineer with the Federal Aviation Administration in Nashua, New Hampshire, allegedly used his government work computer to research methods of killing President Trump. Federal prosecutors charged DelleChiaie with communicating an interstate threat after he conducted searches including how to smuggle firearms into federal buildings, previous assassination attempts, and typed the phrase “I am going to kill Donald John Trump.” The Secret Service interviewed him in February, yet authorities released him despite his admission to making these threats and revealing struggles with depression, regular alcohol use, marijuana, and other drugs.

Threats Escalated After Initial Warning

Following his February release, DelleChiaie escalated his behavior. On April 21, he allegedly sent an email from his personal account across state lines to the White House official email address with the subject line “Contact the President.” The message stated: “I, Dean DelleChiaie, am going neutralize/kill you—Donald John Trump—because you decided to kill kids—and say that it was War—when in reality—it is terrorism. God knows your actions and where you belong,” according to court documents filed by federal prosecutors.

Pattern of Violence Against President Intensifies

This arrest comes less than two weeks after an assassination attempt at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner targeted President Trump and administration officials. The incident also follows closely after Pennsylvania authorities arrested a Democratic Senate candidate for threatening to kill the president and members of Congress. Despite DelleChiaie’s admitted mental health issues, substance abuse problems, and explicit death threats against the sitting president, he remained free for two months before prosecutors filed interstate threat charges.

Minimal Consequences for Death Threats

If convicted on all charges, DelleChiaie faces a maximum sentence of only five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. He appeared in federal court on Tuesday and has been assigned a public defender. The relatively light potential sentence has raised concerns among security experts about whether current penalties adequately deter threats against federal officials. The FAA has not commented on DelleChiaie’s employment status or whether the agency has implemented additional security measures following the discovery that an employee used government equipment to plan violence against the president.