A 27-year-old man in New York who threatened to kill the state’s attorney general and a state judge over their involvement in a high-profile civil case against Donald Trump will not face any jail time after reaching an agreement with prosecutors and pleading to a lesser charge.
Tyler J. Vogel was sentenced to one year of conditional discharge on Monday by state Supreme Court Justice M. William Boller after pleading guilty to one count of misdemeanor second-degree aggravated harassment, according to authorities.
In April 2024, Vogel pleaded guilty to one felony count of making a terroristic threat and one misdemeanor count of making a threat to mass harm in the same case.
However, as part of his plea agreement, he completed an interim probation program that required him to follow a number of mental health court mandates.
Boller was able to withdraw his previous admission and plead to a reduced charge after completing the program successfully.
“In addition to leading a law-abiding life, the defendant was also ordered to continue with counseling as a condition of his sentence,” prosecutors stated in a news release. “As part of the sentencing proceeding, final orders of protection were issued on behalf of the victims, which remain in effect for the next five years.”
As previously reported by Law&Crime, Vogel sent a text message to New York Attorney General Letitia James on March 24, 2024, threatening to use “death and physical harm if she did not comply with his requests to cease action” against Donald Trump.
He specifically mentioned the seizure of Trump’s assets and properties following New York Supreme Court Justice Arthur Engoron’s February 2024 decision against the president.
Vogel sent similar threatening messages to Engoron with the intent to “intimidate or coerce” the judge, according to prosecutors.
According to the criminal complaint, Vogel used a “paid online background website” to obtain James and Engoron’s private contact information, which “confirmed [his] intentions to follow through with the threats if his demands were not met.”
Vogel informed James that he was giving her a “fair warning” that she was not to permanently steal Donald Trump’s assets or property.
“Furthermore,” Vogel informed you, “you are not to imprison Donald Trump.”
Vogel was arrested and held at the Erie County Holding Center on March 25, 2024. Erie County District Attorney John Flynn said in a statement released two days after his arrest that if convicted, the 26-year-old could face up to seven years in prison.
According to court documents, Vogel told the judge in texts to Engoron and James that he would defend himself with “deadly force” and use the same against the officials.
Vogel reportedly threatened James, claiming that he had a “whole wall of deadly weapons” to choose from.
“Mark my words, I will kill you if you even try to permanently steal Donald Trump’s assets or property,” he wrote in one of the messages, according to prosecutors.
