JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A former Marine and state prosecutor who is running for Congress has been charged with threatening the President of the United States, the Department of Justice announced.
William Lintag Upham, 35, of Jacksonville, is a former Marine and State prosecutor. According to the Marine Corps, he was medically discharged in May of 2025.
Upham is also running as a Republican for election to the U.S. House for Florida’s Fifth Congressional District.
>>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<<
Upham appeared in federal court in Jacksonville on Thursday and was ordered detained. If convicted, he faces up to five years in federal prison.
According to the complaint, the U.S. Secret Service received reports of potential threats against President Donald Trump made by Upham. Agents subsequently reviewed two videos Upham had posted to his social media accounts.
In the first video, Upham, wearing his military uniform, said “this is a call to arms” and called for the overthrow of the Trump administration, according to the complaint.
He gave instructions for carrying out the act, including using a semi-automatic rifle such as an AR-15 and firing “two shots to the chest” and “one shot to the head,” which he said would result in a high chance of death.
[DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks]
In a second video, also filmed in uniform, Upham made similar statements, including that Trump is “the enemy” and “must be killed.”
The complaint further states that Upham later sent a message to a reporter saying he made the videos to “declare war” against Trump and that he would “kill President Trump at the time that God chooses.”
Investigators also learned Upham had access to firearms and had made concerning statements to police as recently as July 2026. The complaint states that Upham told JSO officers that “he was the Messiah and that God had ordered him to die.”
[SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter]
The case was investigated by the U.S. Secret Service and the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kelli Swaney is prosecuting the case.
Upham is to stay in custody until his hearing at the end of the month.
Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live.
