A Winthrop Harbor man has been sentenced to over three years in federal prison for threatening to “execute” U.S. President Donald Trump and to burn down the Lake County courthouse.
Trent Schneider, 58, of Winthrop Harbor, was charged in November in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois with making a threat in interstate commerce to injure a person.
A federal jury in late March returned guilty verdicts in the case following a three-day trial in Chicago.
According to a criminal complaint and affidavit, Schneider posted a video of himself on October 16 on Instagram.
Schneider said people like him have “suffered real [expletive] crimes from [expletive] judges, doctors, lawyers, police. They should all be killed.”
He additionally said, “I’m going to get some guns. I know where I can get a lot of [expletive] guns and I am going to take care of business myself. I’m tired of all you [expletive] frauds.”
“People need to [expletive] die and people are going to die. [Expletive] all of you, especially you Trump. You should be executed,” Schneider added.
The video also included a caption that stated, in part: “THIS IS NOT A THREAT!!! AFTER LOSING EVERYTHING and My House Auction date is 11.04.2025 @realDonaldTrump SHOULD BE EXECUTED!!!”
A concerned citizen in Florida viewed the video and reported it to law enforcement, the complaint said.
Schneider was the defendant in a pending foreclosure case at the time and a foreclosure auction was scheduled.
Prosecutors said Schneider appeared at the Lake County Courthouse in Waukegan and told the judge presiding over his foreclosure case that he would burn the courthouse down.
The Lake County Sheriff’s Office said they were contacted by the United States Secret Service about the investigation.
The federal agency requested the assistance of the sheriff’s office’s SWAT team to conduct a search warrant in the case, Lake County Sheriff’s Office Chief Christopher Covelli previously said.
The agencies conducted the search warrant at a home in the 2800 block of 15th Street in Winthrop Harbor on November 3.
Federal agents additionally secured the arrest warrant for Schneider, who lives in the residence, Covelli said.
The sheriff’s office’s SWAT Team took Schneider into custody without incident while conducting both warrants.
The scene was turned over to the U.S. Secret Service and Schneider was transported to federal court regarding the warrant.
The Winthrop Harbor Police Department also assisted the U.S. Secret Service and the Lake County Tactical Response Team in the warrants.
Prior to the warrants being conducted, law enforcement officers attempted to interview Schneider at his home on October 22 to discuss the threats.
He became irate and started yelling at officers to get off his property. He then posted a video on social media of the officers walking down his driveway with a threatening caption, the complaint said.
Schneider was sentenced on Wednesday to three years and two months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Sharon Johnson Coleman.
“As I have repeatedly stated since becoming U.S. Attorney, threats against public officials are an attack on our democracy and must be met with swift and serious consequences,” U.S. Attorney Andrew Boutros said after the sentencing hearing.
“The Chicago U.S. Attorney’s Office is working in lockstep with federal, state, and local law enforcement partners to vigorously investigate and prosecute criminal threats of violence, including political violence. Those who cross the line into such conduct and activity will not find safe haven in the Northern District of Illinois,” Boutros said.
“Safeguarding the President of the United States and all our protectees is the U.S. Secret Service’s top priority, as this case demonstrates,” said James Morley, Acting Special Agent-in-Charge of the U.S. Secret Service Chicago Field Office.
“Political violence has no place in civil society, and we will vigorously pursue threats against our protectees. I commend the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Illinois for its diligent prosecution in this important case. I also thank our law enforcement partners at the Lake County Sheriff’s Office and the Winthrop Harbor Police Department for their support and collaboration throughout this investigation,” Morley said.
Schneider faced a maximum sentence of five years in federal prison. He has remained held in federal custody since his arrest.
In December 2022, Schneider was arrested after he threatened to shoot up a cell phone store and then led police on a 40-minute pursuit where he nearly struck two police officers in Winthrop Harbor. He was found unfit for trial in that case.
Schneider was also the subject of a federal and local investigation in 2022 after he posted multiple violent messages on social media about public officials.