Michigan man accused of making threats against immigration agents

A Michigan man is accused of posting threats on social media to kill Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, federal court documents show. 

Justin P. Ward, 23, of Ironwood, faces a federal charge of using interstate commerce to transmit threats to injure another person, the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin reported. Ironwood is in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. The federal grand jury indictment was issued on Wednesday, alleging that on Jan. 29, Ward posted threats on Facebook to kill ICE agents. 

Agencies working with the FBI on this case included the Minnesota State Patrol, the Saint Paul, Minnesota, Police Department, and the Gogebic County, Michigan, Sheriff's Office. 

The criminal complaint and FBI affidavit in support of the charge, which was filed Feb. 2 at the district court in Madison, Wisconsin, provided additional details, including confirmed interstate travel. 

According to a criminal complaint, Ward had made statements on public Facebook posts that "contained threats to kill agents with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement."

The Gogebic County Sheriff's Office notified the FBI's Detroit office on Jan. 29 that deputies had probable cause to arrest Ward based on threats that were made Jan. 28 toward an Ironwood Public Safety worker and that person's family. While deputies did not find Ward at his home that day, officers on that case reviewed publicly made social media posts that led them to believe Ward was traveling. 

Deputies also noticed eight comments, posted in quick succession, that included apparent threats to ICE agents, according to court records. 

Authorities said phone tracing technology showed that a cellphone believed to be Ward's was traveling in a path from upper Michigan across northern Wisconsin and towards Duluth, Minnesota.  

The location confirmed at one point was near Ashland, Wisconsin, which set the jurisdiction for the federal district court in Madison, Wisconsin. 

If convicted, Ward faces up to five years in federal prison.