U.S. President Joe Biden gives a speech at Green River College on April 22, 2022, in Auburn, Washington.
A 20-year-old man in New York is facing several years behind bars for threatening to kill Joe Biden last year, posting on social media that he would “put a bullet” in the then-president”s head. Troy Kelly formally pleaded guilty on Thursday to one count of making threats against the president of the United States, prosecutors said.
“We all witnessed the horrible attempt on President Trump’s life last July,” Acting U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of New York John A. Sarcone III said in a statement. “Threatening to kill the President — any President: Republican, Democrat, or otherwise — is not First Amendment protected speech, it is illegal. My office takes threats against any public official seriously, and the conviction of Troy Kelly is a prime example. I thank the Secret Service, HSI, and the New York State Police for their work on this investigation.”
According to the criminal complaint, authorities on June 17, 2024, discovered that an individual had posted a message on the social media platform “X,” previously Twitter, threatening the life of then-President Joe Biden. The post was made under the username “@CountryBoyTroy0” and the display name “Troy Kelly.”
The threat was posted to X on May 17, 2024, in response to a post from Biden celebrating “International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia, and Biphobia.”
“On the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia, and Biphobia, my administration stands in solidarity with LGBTQI+ people around the world as they seek to live lives free from hate-fueled violence and discrimination,” Biden wrote. “It’s a matter of human rights, plain and simple.”
Love true crime? Sign up for our newsletter, The Law&Crime Docket, to get the latest real-life crime stories delivered right to your inbox.
Kelly responded to the president by threatening to kill him.
“I really hope to see u old f—,” he wrote, per the complaint. “Gonna put a bullet in your head if I ever catch you. Get the f— out of office.”
Investigators traced the username back to an IP address in Schroon Lake, New York, which is about 250 miles north of Manhattan. Using an email address associated with the account and other online connections, investigators confirmed that Kelly was the author of the threatening post.
In an interview with federal agents, Kelly admitted that he posted the threat, authorities said. When asked why he posted the statement, Kelly responded, “It’s true.”
“I asked Kelly if he still wants to kill President Biden and Kelly stated, ‘If I could, I would,'” a federal agent wrote in the affidavit. “I asked Kelly why he wants to kill President Biden and Kelly replied by saying that President Biden and his son are a disgrace.”
Following the interview, two black powder rifles with optics were seized from Kelly’s room.
Further review showed that Kelly, on May 31, 2024, had responded to another Biden X post by writing, “We should just off this old f— already,” and “Biden. Your times coming. If not by my hand then someone else’s. You’ll see.”
Kelly is scheduled to appear before U.S. Chief District Judge Brenda K. Sannes on Dec. 22 for his sentencing hearing, where he faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.
