A former Marine campaigning to represent Florida in the U.S. House of Representatives was charged on Thursday after threatening to kill President Donald Trump in videos shared on social media.
William Upham, 35, was arrested on July 16 after being charged in federal court in Jacksonville, Florida.
A criminal complaint released by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida charged the former Marine, who previously served as a state prosecutor, with threatening the president.
Upham could face up to five years in federal prison if he is convicted.
The complaint said that the Secret Service received reports that Upham made “potential threats” against Trump.
Secret Service agents also reviewed two videos that Upham allegedly posted on social media.
In one video that the Secret Service said they observed, the former Marine was wearing his military uniform and described his message to overthrow the Trump administration as a “call to arms,” the complaint said.
The Secret Service said Upham included instructions in his video on how to “overthrow” Trump, including a recommendation to use a semi-automatic rifle, such as an AR-15.
The complaint alleged that Upham also described Trump as “the enemy” and suggested that he should be killed with “two shots to the chest” and “one shot to the head,” which he said would lead to a “very high chance of killing the enemy.”
Upham also appears in his military uniform in a second video on social media posted by Libs of TikTok. In it, Upham suggests that Trump would be “killed and sent to hell.”
“There is no doubt in my mind that the president of the United States, Donald J. Trump, is the Antichrist. He is a false Messiah, and he is your enemy, and he must be killed,” he states in the video.
The criminal complaint said Secret Service agents also received a communication that Upham allegedly sent to a third-party reporter following the publication of the videos on social media.
The complaint alleged that Upham told the reporter that he made the videos to “declare war” against Trump and suggested he would “kill President Trump at the time that God chooses.”
It also alleged that Upham said the United States “must overthrow President Trump by the violent use of force and kill him.”
The Secret Service also learned that Upham had access to firearms and had previously made “concerning statements” to law enforcement on July 5 after Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office officers were dispatched to his residence to conduct a welfare check, according to the complaint.
In a social media post on Tuesday, the Marine Corps said it was aware of the “disturbing statements” allegedly made by Upham and confirmed that he was medically discharged from the service on May 30, 2025.
“The comments made by Upham are a direct violation of the oath he swore to uphold and are not in keeping with the service’s values,” the Marine Corps said.
Acting Secretary of the Navy Hung Cao also addressed the former Marine’s videos threatening Trump.
“Unacceptable,” he said on X. “William Upham is no longer a Marine and does not represent our values or ethos.”
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida said the case against Upham was investigated by both the Secret Service and the FBI.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Kelli Swaney was listed as the prosecutor for the case.
Upham previously filed to run as a write-in candidate in the Aug. 18 Republican primary in Florida. He has campaigned to represent Florida’s Fifth Congressional District.
The Epoch Times reached out to Upham for comment but did not receive a response in time for publication.
