A Knoxville man was indicted by a federal grand jury in Chattanooga on July 28, 2026, for making public threats to kill national and local public officials as well as members of his own family, according to an Aug. 4 announcement from the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Tennessee.
Garry Lee Williams, age 44, faces a 22-count indictment alleging that he used TikTok between January and April 2026 to post numerous threats announcing his intent to murder and maim various individuals. The indictment states that Williams made eleven separate threats to murder President Trump, one threat targeting a member of President Trump’s immediate family, seven separate threats against the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), two threats against the Knox County Sheriff and Chief of the Knoxville Police Department, and one threat directed at multiple members of his own family.
Williams appeared before United States Magistrate Judge Debra C. Poplin in Knoxville on Aug. 4. He pleaded not guilty and remains detained pending trial. The trial is scheduled for Oct. 6 before United States District Judge Katherine A. Crytzer in Knoxville.
If convicted on all charges—including violations under Title 18 U.S.C §871(a) (threats against the President), §875(c) (interstate threats), and §115(a)(1)(B) & (b)(4) (threats to murder federal law enforcement officers)—Williams faces up to a total term of 145 years in prison along with possible fines up to $250,000 per count and supervised release terms up to three years each.
The investigation involved the FBI, U.S. Secret Service, Knox County Sheriff’s Office, and Knoxville Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney David P. Lewen Jr. will prosecute the case.
Officials reminded members of the public that an indictment contains only charges: “every person is presumed innocent until their guilt has been proven beyond a reasonable doubt.”