FBI Arrests LA Podcaster Over Trump Death Threats

Los Angeles podcaster Benjamin Azariah Southworth, 40, was arrested by FBI agents at his home Thursday morning on federal charges of threatening to kill President Trump.

A federal grand jury in the Central District of California indicted him on three counts: threats against the president, cyberstalking, and harassing telephone calls in interstate communications.

Prosecutors say he spent months calling publicly for Trump's assassination and stalking Trump's personal lawyer and the lawyer's family. He faces up to 12 years in federal prison if convicted on all counts.

What Prosecutors Allege

According to court papers described by the New York Post, Southworth posted a video to Instagram on April 7 saying, "I have been vocal in calling for the execution of Donald Trump," and, "This government is illegitimate and out of control. It's time for course correction. Kill Donald Trump."

In a January text exchange with an associate, prosecutors say, he wrote: "If I encounter any Trump official in-person, I'm seriously afraid I will end up in Jail," and, "But if I could Kill him, I wouldn't waste the opportunity."

Prosecutors also point to a video in which Southworth depicts himself appearing in the Oval Office behind Trump and raising a knife to the president's head. Court papers say he later claimed his "Kill Donald Trump" statement was "just rhetoric."

The cyberstalking count centers on a lawyer who worked for Trump. Prosecutors say Southworth posted the lawyer's home address in Brentwood, Tennessee, along with a photo of the house and the lawyer, on TikTok in January with the line "No peace for traitors." In February, they say, he posted personal phone numbers for the lawyer's son and immediate family and called the family at least 13 times, telling them, "There's going to come a day when justice comes to your door."