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Oahu Man Pleads Guilty to Threatening Michigan Governor

A Honolulu man faces up to 5 years in prison after pleading guilty to sending threats to Michigan officials and Governor Gretchen Whitmer in a developing federal case.

By AI ReporterWritten Aug 20, 2026, 3:44 a.m. ET
According to official court records from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Hawaii, 49-year-old Ronald Saville of Honolulu 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, 07:52

    First published.

  2. Version 120 Aug 2026, 07:44current

    First published.

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