Left: Michael Wiseman (Palm Beach County Jail). Right: Former President Donald Trump and Ohio Sen. JD Vance, in Milwaukee, Wis., on July 16, 2024. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call via AP Images).
Disturbing new details have been revealed in the case of a Florida man who allegedly posted a series of Facebook threats to kill former President Donald Trump, and his running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance.
Michael Martin Wiseman, 68, stands accused of one count of written or electronic threats to kill or do bodily harm, according to court documents obtained by Law&Crime from the Jupiter Police Department through a public records request.
Earlier this month, the outlines of the allegations in the case were sketched out in less-descriptive Palm Beach County Jail records.
The threats in question were made mere days after an assassin’s bullet narrowly avoided taking Trump’s life at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. Some of the pro-violence comments cited by law enforcement appear to reference the assassination attempt.
An investigation into Wiseman began after law enforcement received “multiple online crime tips” about the alleged threats, according to police. Residents of the Sunshine State coastal city also expressed “in person” concerns about the defendant, police say.
“Trump and Vance should be murdered before turning us in to West Russia,” one alleged Facebook post reads, according to the probable cause affidavit filed in the case.
Law enforcement cited three additional Facebook posts.
The affidavit reads:
“READY, AIM, FIRE. RINSE AND REPEAT” (with an image of President Donald J. Trump’s face in the crosshairs of a sniper scope)
“I am advocating Trump and Vance’s daughters get raped and THEN tell me they won’t fly their kids out of the USA for an abortion.”
“Some people need to be better shots if they know they are going to kill a monster.”
“Several other recent Facebook posts were noted, which praised the July 13, 2024 attempted assassination of President Donald J. Trump, and were encouraging in nature for others to attempt the same,” the court document continues.
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Police also identified a Threads social media account — which is a feature on Instagram that aims to compete with X (formerly Twitter) in the microblogging online landscape — and attributed Wiseman to posts that, by all measures, glorify the Butler shooting.
“The shooter missed,” one post begins. “He can’t be the only patriot. ––––sucker, mother and daughter ––––er Trump.”
The second Threads post cited in the affidavit reads: “Why is Trump allowed to be alive? We need to train patriots. Thomas Matthew Crooks deserves a posthumous Congressional Medal of Honor, a stamp, and a national holiday.”
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“After investigating the reports and the suspect’s Facebook account, JPD detectives found that Wiseman had made multiple threats against Trump and Vance,” police wrote in a press release. “Threats were also made concerning bodily harm to members of the Trump and Vance families. JPD coordinated the investigation with the United States Secret Service and the Palm Beach County State Attorney’s Office. JPD officers took Wiseman into custody without incident.”
In the affidavit, police describe Mirandizing Wiseman and discussing the Facebook posts “which were threatening in nature” but several portions of the document are redacted.
Wiseman was interviewed and arrested on July 19. He was arraigned the next morning with his wife present, according to court records.
Dozens of documents have already been filed in the case, but few are available on the public docket.
Prosecutors moved for the defendant to remain in pretrial detention — arguing he is a threat to the community and that he is charged with a “dangerous crime,” which, in Wiseman’s case, means a felony in the first degree.
Typically, under Florida law, the crime Wiseman is charged with is considered a second-degree felony punishable by up to 40 years in prison.
Judge Cymonie Rowe agreed with the state and ordered the defendant to remain in jail pending a hearing. He is also ordered not to have any contact with the alleged victims or their families.
Wiseman has pleaded not guilty to the lone count against him.
Several previous court dates have been canceled or reset in the case so far. The final form of the charges appears to be up in the air — the state has until Aug. 29 to file additional charges.
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