United States of America v. James Patrick Lyons

Minneapolis, Minnesota, criminal defense lawyer represents the Defendant with interstate transmission of a threat to injury the person of another.

James Patrick Lyons, age 45, accused of interstate transmission of threats to injure five federal law enforcement officers on January 18, 2026,

On January 14, 2026, in response to an immigration enforcement action, a large group of protesters in Minneapolis vandalized and significantly damaged FBI-owned vehicles, stealing weapons and ammunition, seizing government-owned equipment, and taking documents containing federal employees’ phone numbers, email addresses, home addresses, and driver’s license numbers. FBI personnel were on scene to investigate an officer-involved shooting and not for any immigration enforcement. Five of the individuals whose personal information was confiscated and broadcast on the Internet were FBI Special Agents.

On January 18, 2026, those five Special Agents received a series of threatening text messages on their government-issued cell phones. Subsequent FBI investigation identified the phone number associated with one particular threatening text message received by the Special Agents as belonging to James Patrick Lyons. All five text messages used similar language and asserted in part that the sender knew who the Special Agents were and where to find them.

The investigation is being conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Assistant United States Attorney Benjamin Bejar is prosecuting the case.

18 U.S. Code § 875 - Interstate communications

(a) Whoever transmits in interstate or foreign commerce any communication containing any demand or request for a ransom or reward for the release of any kidnapped person, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than twenty years, or both.
(b) Whoever, with intent to extort from any person, firm, association, or corporation, any money or other thing of value, transmits in interstate or foreign commerce any communication containing any threat to kidnap any person or any threat to injure the person of another, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than twenty years, or both.
(c) Whoever transmits in interstate or foreign commerce any communication containing any threat to kidnap any person or any threat to injure the person of another, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than five years, or both.
(d) Whoever, with intent to extort from any person, firm, association, or corporation, any money or other thing of value, transmits in interstate or foreign commerce any communication containing any threat to injure the property or reputation of the addressee or of another or the reputation of a deceased person or any threat to accuse the addressee or any other person of a crime, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than two years, or both.

An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. The defendant is presumed innocent.