A Dallas man will spend 17 months in federal prison after admitting he posted threats to kill ICE agents, federal prosecutors announced.
Robert Wilson King, 36, pleaded guilty in June to transmitting an interstate threat, a federal threatening-communications offense. U.S. District Judge Brantley Starr also ordered two years of supervised release after prison.
King is one of four men who received federal prison terms in 2026 for threatening federal agents. His sentence shows that posting such threats can bring more than an account suspension or public backlash.
King’s social-media posts urged people to shoot and kill ICE agents. One declared, “ICE agents dead,” while another said, “Kill them.” He also suggested someone should kill President Donald Trump.
King called Trump “a traitor to our country and interests.” The specific platform, account handle and posting dates were not identified, and no motive was provided.
King labeled later messages a “double down” and “Tripling down,” according to Just the News. U.S. Attorney Ryan Raybould addressed the conduct after the sentence.
“There is no place for political violence in this country, and that includes hiding behind a keyboard to threaten the lives of the men and women who serve in federal law enforcement.”
Disputes over ICE tactics belong in elections and courts, including the challenge over ICE agent masks. Threatening to kill agents crosses a different line.
Raybould said ICE agents should not fear for themselves or their families simply for doing their jobs. He also warned that those threatening federal officials would face investigation and prosecution.
Logan Christopher Murfin, 26, of Oklahoma, received the longest sentence among the four cases: 21 months in prison and two years of supervised release. A jury found him guilty in April.
Murfin faced five counts of threatening to assault and murder federal officers. He also faced five counts of sending interstate communications threatening injury. Judge Gregory K. Frizzell sentenced him in August.
Christopher Ray Plyler, 43, of Michigan, received 12 months. Joseph Rocco Giancola, 73, of Florida, received six months. King’s 17-month term fell between those sentences and Murfin’s.
Another side of federal immigration enforcement appears in the Indiana election-arrest case. King’s prosecution, however, turned on threats aimed directly at ICE personnel.
Antwoine Jones, deputy special agent in charge at Homeland Security Investigations in Dallas, said threats against federal officers are criminal acts, not protected speech. He said the sentence showed that intimidation aimed at stopping lawful duties would bring accountability.
The First Amendment does not turn every ugly political statement into a federal crime. The Supreme Court addressed that boundary in the 1969 case Watts v. United States.
In Watts, the Court treated a statement about targeting “L.B.J.” as crude political hyperbole rather than a credible threat. King, by contrast, pleaded guilty to transmitting an interstate threat.
The courts also settle policy fights, including the administration’s appeal over military rules. King’s case concerned criminal punishment for threatening federal officers.
Federal protection against threats has deep roots. Threatening the president’s life became a federal crime in 1917, while later laws added penalties for threats against other federal officials and employees.
The exact date and courthouse for King’s sentencing were not identified. Neither were the case number or specific statute behind his guilty plea.
Political anger is no license to threaten federal agents. A country governed by law must protect both free speech and the officers carrying out lawful duties.
