A New Hampshire man who worked as an FAA mechanical engineering contractor was arrested on a federal charge after investigators say he sent a threatening email to the White House and left troubling searches and notes on his government computer and in his home. Federal agents and local police moved quickly after being tipped off by FAA IT staff and the Secret Service, and prosecutors have now charged him with interstate communication of a threat against the president. The case raises obvious questions about workplace security, mental health, and accountability when a government employee allegedly crosses a serious legal line.
Federal authorities took custody of 35-year-old Dean DelleChiaie after reviewing an affidavit prepared by a Secret Service special agent. Prosecutors say the Nashua resident used his government-issued computer to run alarming searches and then tried to have that history deleted by the FAA IT department, which alerted law enforcement. The allegation that a contractor would try to erase evidence on a work machine set off immediate concern.
The affidavit claims the computer search history included instructions and information tied to violence and access, and those alleged queries are now part of the case against him. The reported list of searches is chilling, and investigators treated it as a red flag for public safety. Officials allege they found other material that pointed beyond idle curiosity to a pattern of dangerous interest.
The suspect allegedly searched the phrase ‘I am going to kill Donald John Trump.’ Government investigators also say he looked up how to get a gun into a federal facility, previous assassination attempts against the president, and the percentage of the population that supposedly wants the president dead. Those are the kind of searches any responsible agency treats as possible precursors to real-world harm.
Investigators allege DelleChiaie went further, searching for the homes of Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, and even querying the names and ages of their children. If true, those searches move this from political ranting to targeted, identifiable threats against public officials and their families. Law enforcement sees that line and acts on it, and rightly so.
After the IT staff raised alarms, the FAA reportedly suspended him while the Secret Service and local police followed up with an interview at his apartment. According to investigators, DelleChiaie admitted he had run the searches on his work computer and called his own choices “crazy,” which only underscores how dangerous impulsive acts on government devices can become. That interview did not initially lead to charges, but it added material investigators would tie to later developments.
Law enforcement also notes the presence of notes on a whiteboard at his home and logged statements about arrest theatrics that investigators considered evidence of intent and mindset. The affidavit references one whiteboard entry alleged to read: “Say arrest me ‘I am going to murder Donald John Trump — per defense of oath.’” That kind of wording, coupled with reported searches, prompted deeper scrutiny from federal agents.
Agents also documented statements about mental health and substance use in the affidavit, saying the suspect acknowledged therapy for depression and admitted to using ketamine, cannabis, psilocybin mushrooms, and alcohol. Investigators say he told them he kept a firearm locked in a safe at his apartment and had additional weapons stored at a friend’s home. Those details factored heavily into the detention decision at his initial court appearance.
In late April, the White House received an email investigators now allege came from a Gmail address tied to DelleChiaie. That message, reproduced in the affidavit, reads exactly as alleged in court and includes the line:
Subject: Contact the President
I, Dean DelleChiaie, am going neutralize/kill you — Donald John Trump — because you decided to kill kids — and say that it was War — when in reality — it is terrorism. God knows your actions and where you belong.
Federal prosecutors see that email as the smoking gun that elevated the matter to a federal charge.
Within two weeks of that alleged email, the U.S. Attorney’s Office filed formal charges for interstate communication of a threat against the president. He was arraigned before a magistrate judge, who appointed a public defender to represent him. The judge ordered him detained pending trial, citing the severity of the charge, evidence presented, substance use history, access to weapons, and a perceived risk to public safety.
The charged conduct, if proven, carries up to five years in federal prison and significant fines. Republicans and conservatives who prioritize law and order will view swift prosecution as necessary to deter similar behavior and to protect public officials. This case also highlights the responsibility of agencies to secure government-issued equipment and to act decisively when red flags appear.
Federal prosecutors will now move forward with discovery and pretrial proceedings, while the defense prepares its response. In situations involving alleged threats, courts must balance due process and constitutional rights with concrete steps to safeguard officials and the public. For taxpayers and public servants alike, the bottom line is simple: threats get investigated and, when supported by evidence, get prosecuted.
