Man Indicted for Threatening to Murder U.S. Officials

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A federal grand jury returned an indictment today charging a Herndon man with threatening to murder officials, officers, and employees of the Central Intelligence Agency and the U.S. State Department, as well as Virginia law enforcement officers.

William Lewis Weaver II, 36, is charged with two counts of threatening to assault and murder federal officials, officers, and employees and three counts of transmitting in interstate commerce a communication containing threats to injure the person of another. The indictment alleges that between August 23 and September 16, Weaver used a Twitter account to post tweets that threatened to murder a number of government officials, including specific threats involving bombs and a shotgun.

Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Andrew W. Vale, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, made the announcement after the indictment was returned. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexander P. Berrang is prosecuting the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia.  Related court documents and information is located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:17-cr-235.

An indictment contains allegations that a defendant has committed a crime. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent until and unless proven guilty in court.