Federal authorities have charged a Libertyville man after saying he mailed threatening letters to two federal district judges appointed by President Donald Trump.
James Lebuhn, 65, of Libertyville, was charged with two counts of mailing a threatening communication.
The criminal charges were filed in the U.S. District Court in Chicago on Friday.
Court documents said Lebuhn mailed letters in March 2025 to U.S. District Court judges in Amarillo, Texas, and Fort Pierce, Florida.
Lebuhn mailed the letters for the purpose of making a “true threat” and knowing that the letters would be viewed as such, court documents say.
Lebuhn also “recklessly disregarded the substantial risk” that others would regard the communications as a threat when mailing the letters, the charges allege.
Court documents do not name which judges were targeted but Judge Aileen M. Cannon is the only sitting district judge in the Fort Pierce, Florida, courthouse and Judge Matthew J. Kacsmaryk is the only sitting district judge in the Amarillo, Texas, courthouse.
Both were appointed by U.S. President Donald Trump during his first term in office when he appointed over 230 judges to federal positions.
The U.S. Marshals Service, the U.S. Secret Service and the Federal Protective Service investigated the case.
“The Chicago U.S. Attorney’s Office is committed to holding accountable anyone who seeks to intimidate and instill fear in members of the federal government, including the esteemed public servants on the bench,” U.S. Attorney Andrew Boutros said.
“When a threat such as this occurs, our Office will find, arrest, and prosecute those responsible to the fullest extent of the law. We are grateful for the close collaboration with the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices in the Northern District of Texas and Southern District of Florida and the fine work they provided in support of this prosecution,” Boutros said.
United States Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Ryan Raybould said that the criminal charges should “serve as a warning” to others contemplating such behavior in “today’s times of increasing threats of violence.”
“I applaud the investigative efforts of our agents in this District and the prosecution team in the Northern District of Illinois for their outstanding work,” Raybould said.
An arrest warrant was not issued for Lebuhn after the charges were filed. He has retained attorney Steven Jerome Dollear to represent him.
Lebuhn is scheduled to appear for his first court hearing on March 26 where he will be arraigned.