Albuquerque Man Sentenced to More Than Two Years in Prison for Threats Against the Former President and Vice President

PHOENIX, Ariz. – A man convicted of posting threats against then President Biden and Vice President Harris on the social media site X was sentenced March 2, 2026, in federal court, announced U.S. Attorney Timothy Courchaine.

Michael David Hanson, 44, of Albuquerque, New Mexico, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Steven P. Logan to 27 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. Hanson previously pleaded guilty to making Threats Against the President and Successors to the Presidency.

On December 22, 2023, Hanson, posted “#joeAndKamala I’m asking you to resign on Monday your alternative is death brutally murdered…” on one of his X accounts. Hanson admitted that his threat was directed at President Joseph Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris and that he intended to communicate a threat of violence.

“Online death threats made against leaders of the United States are criminal acts, not protected speech,” said U.S. Attorney Timothy Courchaine. “The U.S. Secret Service and Phoenix Police Department are to be commended for quickly identifying and arresting Mr. Hanson, whose 27-month sentence should serve as a warning that there are real-world consequences for threatening elected officials.”

”The U.S. Secret Service has zero tolerance for threats against our protectees. Let this serve as a warning. If you threaten the President of the United States, we will find you, we will arrest you and you will face justice,” said William Mack, the Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Secret Service’s Phoenix Field Office. “We want to thank the Phoenix Police Department as well as the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona for their assistance in this case.”

The U.S. Secret Service and Phoenix Police Department conducted the investigation. The U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, Phoenix, handled the prosecution.

CASE NUMBER:            CR-24-0312-PHX-SPL

RELEASE NUMBER:    2026-044_Hanson

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For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/

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