Minnesota man found guilty for threatening Pam Bondi in "murder-for-hire" TikTok post
A federal jury has found a 30-year-old Minnesota man guilty of threatening former U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi over social media.
On Wednesday, Minnesota U.S. Attorney Daniel Rosen announced that Tyler Maxon Avalos was found guilty of interstate transmission of a threat to injure the person of another following a federal jury trial.
"The jury's guilty verdict today is the result of the continuing campaign by my office and federal law enforcement to target those that threaten violence in the political arena," Rosen said in a statement. "As American society continues to be more politically polarized, those that threaten, commit, or induce others to commit acts of political violence are becoming more numerous, more brazen, and more dangerous.
A TikTok user in Detroit flagged the post aimed at Bondi to the FBI on Oct. 9, according to an FBI affidavit filed in federal court in Minnesota. The post shows a photo of Bondi with a "sniper-scope red dot" over her forehead, along with the text "WANTED: Pam Bondi. REWARD: 45,000. DEAD OR ALIVE (PREFERABLY DEAD)."
Court filings say the caption reads "*cough cough* when they don't serve us then what?"
Per the affidavit, the FBI traced the account back to Avalos, of St. Paul, Minnesota. Investigators allege the account has anarchist ties, pointing to a display name containing an anarchy symbol and a pinned link to the book "Anarchist FAQ."
CBS News reported at the time that the post targeted Bondi, then the nation's top law enforcement official, and that Avalos was released on a personal recognizance bond after an initial appearance before a federal magistrate judge in Minneapolis
Court papers show Avalos has prior convictions in two states. In Minnesota, these include a felony stalking conviction from 2022 and a misdemeanor domestic assault conviction from 2016. In Florida, he was convicted in 2016 of felony third-degree domestic battery.
Details on his sentencing date have not been released.