West Virginia Man Admits to Threatening President Donald J. Trump and ICE Agents

National News - A West Virginia man has admitted to making death threats against President Donald J. Trump and threats to harm Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, U.S. Attorney Matthew L. Harvey announced.

Cody Lee Smith, 20, pleaded guilty to threatening to kill the President and to harm ICE agents. Court statements show the threats began on January 17, 2026, when the Harrison County Sheriff's Department reported that Smith had posted threats on social media.

Homeland Security and ICE agents reviewed Smith's Instagram posts and confirmed multiple threats against President Trump, his supporters, and federal law enforcement. That same day, Smith sent a direct Instagram message to Donald J. Trump Jr. containing a sexually violent threat against the President.

The following day, January 18, 2026, Smith called the ICE tip line and threatened to kill ICE agents in Clarksburg, West Virginia. He also threatened the tip line operator and the operator's family.

Smith now faces up to five years in federal prison for the presidential threat charge. He faces an additional 10 years for the threats made against ICE agents. A federal district court judge will decide his sentence after weighing the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other factors.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew Cogar is prosecuting the case for the government. U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael John Aloi presided over the proceedings.

The investigation involved several agencies, including Homeland Security Investigations, the U.S. Secret Service, the FBI, the West Virginia State Police, and the Harrison County Sheriff's Office.

The case falls under Operation Take Back America, a nationwide effort by the Department of Justice aimed at dismantling cartels and transnational criminal organizations, protecting communities from violent crime, and cracking down on illegal immigration.