California Man Charged With Online Death Threats Against Vice President Vance at Disneyland
A federal criminal complaint in the Central District of California charges 22‑year‑old Marco Antonio Aguayo of Anaheim with threatening the president and successors to the presidency after he allegedly posted Instagram comments about pipe bombs and 'bloodshed' timed to Vice President JD Vance’s July 12 visit to Disneyland Resort. According to a Secret Service affidavit, an account traced to Aguayo told Disney’s official Instagram followers that 'pipe bombs have been placed in preparation for J.D. Vance’s arrival' and warned there would be bloodshed that night, prompting a federal investigation. Agents say records from Meta, Google and other providers tied the account to Aguayo’s email, phones, IP addresses and home, and that after initially claiming he was hacked, he admitted making the posts as a 'joke' before consenting to searches that found him logged into the account. Aguayo was arrested Friday and is expected to make his initial appearance Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Santa Ana, as Attorney General Pamela Bondi and First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli used the case to warn that anonymous online threats against public officials will be aggressively prosecuted. The arrest adds to a growing list of federal cases over social‑media threats targeting top officials, from Vice President Vance to campus radio hosts and others whose posts have already drawn Secret Service scrutiny.
📌 Key Facts
- Marco Antonio Aguayo, 22, of Anaheim, was arrested Friday on a federal complaint charging him with threatening the president and successors to the presidency.
- Prosecutors say he posted multiple July 12 comments on Disney’s official Instagram claiming pipe bombs had been placed for JD Vance’s arrival and warning of imminent 'bloodshed' against 'corrupt politicians' while Vance and his family were visiting Disneyland.
- Investigators used Meta, Google and other records to trace the Instagram account to Aguayo; he allegedly first claimed his account was hacked, then admitted making the posts as a 'joke' and was found logged into the account during a consensual search.
- Aguayo is scheduled for an initial appearance Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Santa Ana, and DOJ and Secret Service officials publicly emphasized that online threats against public officials will be pursued, regardless of claimed anonymity.
📊 Relevant Data
From 2013 to 2022, there were 501 federal cases involving charges for threats against public officials, with the average annual charges increasing from 38 per year (2013-2016) to 62 per year (2017-2022).
Rising Threats to Public Officials: A Review of 10 Years of Federal Data — Combating Terrorism Center at West Point
Among individuals federally charged with threatening public officials from 2013 to 2022, 93% were male, compared to approximately 49% of the U.S. population being male.
Rising Threats to Public Officials: A Review of 10 Years of Federal Data — Combating Terrorism Center at West Point
Among individuals federally charged with threatening public officials from 2013 to 2022, 59% were White (compared to about 60% of the U.S. population), 13% were Black (compared to about 13% of the U.S. population), with race unavailable for 25%.
Rising Threats to Public Officials: A Review of 10 Years of Federal Data — Combating Terrorism Center at West Point
45% of federal threat cases against public officials from 2013 to 2022 showed evidence of ideological motivations, increasing from 24% in 2013 to 58% in 2021.
Rising Threats to Public Officials: A Review of 10 Years of Federal Data — Combating Terrorism Center at West Point
33% of individuals charged with threatening public officials from 2013 to 2022 had a previously diagnosed mental health issue.
Rising Threats to Public Officials: A Review of 10 Years of Federal Data — Combating Terrorism Center at West Point
In Anaheim, California, the Hispanic or Latino population increased from 52.8% in 2010 to 53.8% in 2020, while the non-Hispanic White population decreased from 27.5% to 24.2%, with the city's total population growing from 336,265 to 346,824.
QuickFacts: Anaheim city, California — U.S. Census Bureau
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