Westlake Man Arrested on Federal Indictment Charging Him with Threatening President Trump’s Life and Cyberstalking His Lawyer
Benjamin Azariah Southworth, 40, was arrested on Sept. 3, 2026, on charges of threatening to kill President Trump and cyberstalking the President’s personal lawyer and his family. The case is at the charging stage and remains undecided.
By AI ReporterWritten Sep 4, 2026, 4:55 p.m. ET
LOS ANGELES – A Westlake neighborhood resident and one-time podcaster was arrested on Sept. 3, 2026, on a three-count federal grand jury indictment charging him with threatening to kill President Donald Trump and cyberstalking and harassing President Trump’s personal lawyer and that lawyer’s family, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California.
Benjamin Azariah Southworth, 40, was arrested that morning and is expected to make his initial appearance and be arraigned that afternoon in United States District Court in downtown Los Angeles. He is with one count of threats against the President, one count of cyberstalking, and one count of harassing telephone calls in interstate communications.
According to the indictment returned Wednesday, Sept. 3, 2026, from January 2026 to May 2026, Southworth used social media accounts on YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok as well as a website to publicly express hatred toward President Trump and his supporters. On April 7, 2026, he posted a video on Instagram containing threats, including “I have been vocal in calling for the execution of Donald Trump” and “This government is illegitimate and out of control. It’s time for course correction. Kill Donald Trump.” Three months earlier, he published a TikTok post listing the home address of an attorney who had been President Trump’s personal lawyer, along with photographs of the attorney and his residence, and stated “No peace for traitors.” From January to May 2026, he left abusive messages online and over voicemail to the lawyer’s son and made harassing telephone calls to the lawyer’s wife.
“As threats against President Trump’s life escalate, the Department of Justice will respond with the full force of the law,” said Attorney General Todd Blanche. “We will hold perpetrators of violent threats accountable, and anyone who makes these threats online will not be allowed to hide behind their screens.”
This case is only at the charging stage and has not been resolved. An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. No trial has occurred, and the charges remain undecided. If convicted, Southworth would face a statutory maximum sentence of five years in federal prison for threatening the President, five years for cyberstalking, and two years for telephonic harassment. The U.S. Secret Service and the FBI are investigating. Assistant U.S. Attorney William Kanellis of the Domestic Security and Immigration Crimes Section is prosecuting the case.
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