Leah B. Foley United States Attorney for the District of Massachusetts | Department of Justice
A Great Barrington resident, Andrew D. Emerald, was arrested and charged on Mar. 31 for allegedly making threats against President Donald J. Trump through a series of Facebook posts between May and July 2025.
The case highlights the federal response to online threats directed at public officials. Authorities say that Emerald posted eight separate messages in which he threatened to injure or kill the former president.
According to the indictment, Emerald's posts included explicit statements about harming President Trump and referenced specific intentions and timelines. Some of the messages described plans to "put [Trump] to death" and included language indicating a willingness to travel or take action if others did not do so by certain dates. The indictment lists detailed excerpts from these social media posts made over several weeks in spring and summer of 2025.
Emerald faces eight counts of interstate transmission of threatening communications, each carrying a potential sentence of up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine if convicted. Sentencing will be determined by a federal district court judge based on U.S. Sentencing Guidelines.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley said she was joined by Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Boston Division, in announcing the charges. The United States Secret Service, United States Postal Inspection Service, and Great Barrington Police Department also assisted with the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven H. Breslow is prosecuting the case.
Officials remind that all details contained in charging documents are allegations at this stage; Emerald is presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
