9 hours ago
EXCLUSIVE Coast Guard sharpshooter Peter Stinson who made threats to kill Donald Trump is freed from prison
The former US Coastguard lieutenant charged with making online threats to kill Donald Trump has been bailed on condition that he declares his home gun-free and pays for his internet use to be monitored, can reveal.
Trained sharpshooter Peter Stinson, 63, was arrested on Friday charged with making a slew of disturbing social media posts against the President, including saying he needed to be 'Luigied,' a reference to Luigi Mangione, the man accused of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in cold blood on a New York City street.
But in a hearing on Wednesday, federal magistrate judge Ivan Davis said he will order the self-declared Antifa activist released on home detention provided he reveals the whereabouts of his father's 22 rifle, among other conditions.
The judge's release order came despite strong objections by prosecutors, who argued that Stinson was 'dangerous' to the president and the wider public.
Prosecutor Natasha Smalky pointed to a chilling February 2025 online post in which Stinson allegedly asked 'How much collateral damage is appropriate? If, say, two of the top three targets can be completed, what sort of collateral damage is ok.'
He is said to have followed up with a second post justifying it by saying: 'I'd say other fascists and [orange emoticon] sycophants are fair game for sure'.
A raid of Stinson's home in Oakton, Virginia, by federal investigators last week found only two BB guns – and an empty safe in his truck – but the decorated veteran of three decades had also told agents he was looking after his father's rifle, which they could not locate.
A copy of the order obtained by states Stinson – who has no valid passport – is banned from obtaining a new passport or travel document, must remain at his home except for court-sanctioned exceptions and 'refrain from having contact or affiliation with any extremist organizations'.
Wednesday's hearing Federal Court in Alexandria, Virginia, was told Stinson expressed interest in traveling to Uruguay and used Signal and Proton email, the encrypted communication messaging apps and stated the benefits were the messages could self-destruct.
The court also heard how Stinson's partner left their home when he was arrested and had refused to be a third-party custodian if he was granted home detention – a condition the prosecution had pushed for and the judge denied.
Stinson was told that if he commits a federal felony while awaiting trial he would face additional penalties of up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine tacked on to whatever sentence he received.
Prosecutors argued for Stinson's continued detention, highlighting the large number of online threats over several years and their 'increasing specificity and escalation' around the time of the Butler assassination attempt on Trump and the Inauguration.
Stinson's lawyers argued his posts were 'political hyberbole' and there was no single online statement in which he used the word 'I' and threatened to harm or kill the president.
In a court memo arguing for his pre-trial release on Tuesday, Stinson's public defender characterized the 57-year-old Virginia father's threatening comments about Trump as mere 'political advocacy' that should be protected by his First Amendment rights.
Attorney Geremy Kamens argued that Stinson, a trained sharpshooter, has engaged in 'abstract' political commentary on social media over several years and had no 'specific' or 'imminent' plans to harm the president.
He is listed on LinkedIn as a coordinator for the MayDay Movement, which has the goal of impeaching and removing Trump as 47th U.S. president
Stinson, who served in the Coast Guard for 33 years, was arrested on Monday after a 19-page FBI affidavit alleged he made a series of threats against Trump between April 2020 and June 11, 2025.
Describing Stinson as a 'devoted father of five children' with 'deep ties to his community', Kamens pointed out that his client has no 'significant' prior criminal history and does not pose a flight risk or danger to the community.
In an extraordinary statement, Kamens also noted that Stinson 'repeatedly disclaimed his own ability to carry out violence', which he argues 'demonstrates' that his posts 'constitute political hyperbole' and 'disclaim any personal intention to engage in violent conduct'.
The apparent disclaimers were in reference to the posts in which Stinson stated he lacks the 'skills' and is 'not a good enough shot' and would serve only in a 'support capacity.'
Stinson also allegedly made graphic threats against Trump on multiple social media platforms involving guns, knives and poisoning.
Stinson served in the United States Coast Guard for 33 years from 1988 until 2021. He was a sharpshooter and an instructor with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) during that time.
He is listed on LinkedIn as a coordinator for the MayDay Movement, which has the goal of impeaching and removing Trump as president.
Stinson also made several references online to '8647,' which government officials recognized as a reference to an Instagram post made by former FBI Director James Comey.
To '86' means to cancel or get rid of something. Many interpreted Comey's post as a threat against Trump, who was the 45th and is now the 47th president.
Stinson's arrest comes amid heightened scrutiny by federal prosecutors, who are taking an aggressive approach to threats against the president and other government officials, following previous assassination attempts on Trump.
Thomas Matthew Crooks shot Trump in the ear in an assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania on July 13, 2024.
Crooks was taken out by counter snipers – but not before the shooter killed a rally attendee and badly injured two others.
Based on the timing of that attempt on Trump's life and Stinson's social media posts, investigators found that the former Coast Guard officer was referencing the attack when he wrote: 'A missed opportunity will not come around again.'
Stinson referenced online on February 6, 2025 that he didn't have the 'necessary skills' to carry out an assassination and claimed that many people and groups were plotting action.
He suggested, however, in other posts that he does have those skills.
The court documents come as neighbors in the quiet rural enclave in Oakton, Virginia, where Stinson lives with his wife, two high-school aged sons and their dog Betty-Lou, told of the dramatic moment FBI agents and an armored vehicle swooped on the property on Friday evening at about 5pm.
One neighbor, who did not want to be named, said about 10 FBI agents in multiple unmarked vehicles with blacked out windows took over the three-bedroom house for several hours.
Some of the agents were wearing heavy military fatigues, he said, but he understood they were conducting a federal search warrant.
Another said when she saw an 'aggressive' armored vehicle roll into the street – which appeared to have a machine gun mounted on the back – she took her family into their basement.
'We didn't know what was happening at this stage, and we were fearful of a shootout,' she said.
The locals said they did not see Stinson detained by the authorities, but that his younger son was at home during the search as they saw him standing at the top of the street
Many interpreted '86 47' as a threat against Trump, since '86' means to get rid of something and Trump is the 47th president
Neighbors believe the FBI had been scoping out the house – which is set back from the road in a wooded glade – all day on Friday, as they'd seen several unfamiliar cars driving down the road.
Documents show Stinson was arrested in Fairfax county, on Friday before news broke of the charges against him this week.
Locals were in disbelief at the charges levied against Stinson, who they described as an 'unassuming, quiet guy' and a 'nice, down-to-earth man'.
'There was nothing that gave me cause to think he'd be accused of anything like that, but we didn't really know them too well,' one said.
They said Stinson and his family had been renting their home for about a year-and-a-half and 'kept themselves to themselves'.
Another neighbor, who did not want to be identified, said: 'I met him on Halloween, it was a two-second conversation, he seemed nice.
'So when Friday happened, I was like, "Ok holy cow, what's going on", but they [the authorities] didn't tell us anything.
'I went outside to take out the recycling and saw them up there, and was like oh "do I need to move my vehicles?" They were like "no" and I was like "Am I safe?" and they said "you're fine".
'My husband called me earlier because he heard news of it on the radio, I only just found out what it was about today. I didn't even know his name.
'It's kind of crazy. You never know who's living next door, but unfortunately this is a time when there's a lot of people upset with a lot of things on both ways.'
