The Daily Fuckup

Federal prosecutors in New York say James Gerald Eckert Jr., 39, of Rochester was charged by criminal complaint on July 13, 2026, in a case built around a series of alleged online threats that began with local officials and later shifted to Donald Trump Jr.

According to the Justice Department, the complaint says Eckert posted threats on June 7 and June 11 aimed at Rochester Mayor Malik Evans and state Sen. Samra Brouk, then made additional threatening comments on June 18 in the chat for “Triggered with Donald Trump Jr.” Prosecutors say the messages included threats to kill, kidnap, or otherwise injure a member of the president’s immediate family.

The filing says a U.S. Secret Service agent stationed at Trump Jr.’s residence was alerted to the threats. Prosecutors also say investigators linked the account used for the messages to Eckert. The complaint charges him with threatening to kill, kidnap, or inflict bodily harm on a member of the president’s immediate family, a charge that carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison if he is convicted.

The July 13 complaint is the federal action on the record in the Rochester case. A separate federal threat case involving a former Marine and an alleged threat against President Trump was announced July 16, 2026, in Florida.