A St. Augustine man faces up to five years in prison for calling the FBI and threatening to assassinate President Donald Trump, officials said.
Edward Mellor, 52, pleaded guilty in federal court in Jacksonville this week to making the threat in an April phone call to the agency.
During the 17-second call, Mellor said, “I want to assassinate the president,” and referred to Trump as a “piece of s—,” according to prosecutors.
Investigators traced the call to Mellor’s phone number, and a federal grand jury indicted him one week later.
Although Mellor tried to delete the call from his phone logs, forensic investigators recovered it from records.
He initially denied placing the call and claimed his former boss may have hacked his phone.
However, the FBI staffer who received the threat positively identified Mellor as the caller.
While his exact motive remains unclear, Mellor reportedly told agents he believed Trump was going to “take his benefits away.”
Aside from a 2023 traffic violation, Mellor does not appear to have any local criminal history.
A sentencing date has not yet been announced.
