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Oahu Man Sentenced to Four Years for Threatening to Kill Michigan Governor

Ronald Saville, 49, of Honolulu, was sentenced to four years in federal prison after pleading guilty to sending interstate threats against Governor Gretchen Whitmer.

4 reports on this incident · first at Aug 20, 2026, 3:44 a.m. ET

By AI ReporterFirst reported Aug 20, 2026, 8:03 p.m. ETWritten Aug 26, 2026, 1:52 p.m. ET
Ronald Saville, 49, of Honolulu, was on August 20, 2026, to for sending interstate communications containing threats, according to a federal court record. The sentence was reported by gulfcoastnewsnow.com. Saville had guilty on August 18, 2026, to one count of sending interstate communications containing threats, as announced by U.S. Attorney Ken Sorenson in a Justice Department press release. According to the plea agreement, on May 9, 2026, Saville emailed the Michigan State Police, identifying himself and threatening to enter the State Capitol in Lansing with an AR-15-style rifle and "kill as many people as possible." He also sent a second email to Governor Gretchen Whitmer, stating he intended to "shoot it up and kill as many people as possible" and that he was "coming for you." Saville later called the FBI on May 12, 2026, and told an agent he wanted to kill Governor Whitmer because of her political affiliation. He was located in Kailua on May 26 and admitted to sending the emails, saying he wanted to be taken seriously and intended to scare and threaten the governor. Saville faces up to five years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and supervised release, according to bnonews.com. The FBI investigated the case, and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Heidi Turner prosecuted it. Saville was previously convicted in 2008 for threatening former President George W. Bush and in 2013 for threatening former U.S. District Judge Susan Oki Mollway, according to the Justice Department release.

Earlier reports

  1. Aug 20, 2026, 8:22 p.m. ET

    Hawaii Man Pleads Guilty to Threatening to Kill Michigan Governor

    Ronald Saville, 49, of Honolulu, pleaded guilty on August 18, 2026, to one count of sending interstate communications containing threats, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Hawaii. The plea was announced on August 20, 2026.

    As admitted in the plea agreement, on May 9, 2026, Saville emailed the Michigan State Police, identifying himself and stating he planned to enter the State Capitol in Lansing with an AR-15-style rifle and "kill as many people as possible." He also sent a second email to Governor Gretchen Whitmer, referencing a shooting at the capitol and saying he was coming for her. Saville later called the FBI on May 12, 2026, and told an agent he wanted to kill the governor because of her political affiliation and still intended to carry out the threat.

    Investigators located Saville in Kailua on May 26, and he admitted to sending the emails, saying he wanted to be taken seriously and intended to scare and threaten the governor. Saville was previously convicted in federal court in Hawaii for making threats against former President George W. Bush in 2008 and former U.S. District Judge Susan Oki Mollway in 2013.

    Saville faces up to five years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and supervised release. The FBI investigated the case, and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Heidi Turner is prosecuting it. Sentencing has not yet been scheduled.

  2. Aug 20, 2026, 6:54 p.m. ET

    Oahu Man Pleads Guilty to Threatening Michigan Governor

    Ronald Saville, 49, of Honolulu, pleaded guilty on August 18, 2026, to one count of sending interstate communications containing threats, according to official records from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Hawaii.

    As detailed in court records, Saville sent an email on May 9, 2026, to the Michigan State Police referencing the state capitol building in Lansing, Michigan, and threatening to open fire with an A.R. 15. A short while later, he emailed Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, threatening to shoot up the capitol and stating he was coming for her. On May 12, 2026, Saville called the FBI and told an agent that he wanted to kill Governor Whitmer because of her political affiliation, had researched a trip to Michigan to carry out the threat, and intended to execute it. Investigators located Saville in Kailua on May 26, where he admitted to sending the emails to scare Governor Whitmer and be taken seriously.

    Official records note that Saville was previously convicted twice in federal court in the District of Hawaii, receiving sentences in 2008 for making threats toward former President George W. Bush and in 2013 for making threats toward former U.S. District Judge Susan Oki Mollway. Saville faces up to 5 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and a term of supervised release. The case was investigated by the FBI and is being prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Heidi Turner.

  3. Aug 20, 2026, 3:44 a.m. ETFirst report

    Oahu Man Pleads Guilty to Threatening Michigan Governor

    According to official court records from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Hawaii, 49-year-old Ronald Saville of Honolulu pleaded guilty on August 18, 2026, to one count of sending interstate communications containing threats. United States Attorney Ken Sorenson announced the plea on August 20, 2026, in a developing case.

    In the plea agreement, Saville admitted that on May 9, 2026, he emailed the Michigan State Police threatening to open fire at the state capitol building in Lansing, Michigan. A short while later, Saville sent an email to Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer threatening her and the state capitol. On May 12, 2026, Saville called the FBI and told an agent he wanted to kill Governor Whitmer because of her political affiliation, had researched a trip to Michigan, and intended to carry out the threat. On May 26, investigators located Saville in Kailua, where he admitted to sending the emails to scare and threaten Governor Whitmer.

    According to official records, Saville was previously convicted twice in federal court in the District of Hawaii, receiving sentences in 2008 for making threats toward former United States President George W. Bush and in 2013 for making threats toward former United States District Judge Susan Oki Mollway. Saville now faces up to 5 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, plus a term of supervised release. The FBI investigated the case, which Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Heidi Turner is prosecuting.

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Revision history

  1. Version 120 Aug 2026, 22:54current

    First published.

  2. Version 120 Aug 2026, 07:44current

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  3. Version 121 Aug 2026, 00:22current

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  4. Version 126 Aug 2026, 17:52current

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