Shreveport, La. — A federal grand jury in Shreveport has indicted a local man for allegedly making threats on social media directed at the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President of the United States.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Louisiana, 31 year old Justin Chadwick Butler of Shreveport was charged with three federal counts related to cyberstalking and making threats against national leaders. The indictment was returned on March 3, 2026.
Court documents state that Butler allegedly used social media accounts to post a number of threatening messages directed at the Speaker of the House. Investigators say the posts included violent language and were often made while tagging the Speaker’s social media account directly. Some of the messages referenced shooting the Speaker and described him as a traitor.
Authorities also say Butler made statements involving both the Speaker and the President, suggesting harm toward them. Federal prosecutors described the posts as threatening and menacing.
U.S. Attorney Zachary A. Keller said threats against government leaders are taken seriously and will be prosecuted.
“Threats against public officials and our nation’s leaders are threats to our democracy and our American way of life, and we will not tolerate them,” Keller said in a statement. He added that individuals who believe they can hide behind online anonymity should expect law enforcement to identify them.
Several law enforcement agencies participated in the investigation, including the United States Capitol Police, the United States Secret Service, Homeland Security Investigations, the Caddo Parish Sheriff’s Office, Louisiana State Police, the United States Marshals Service, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
If convicted, Butler could face up to five years in federal prison and three years of supervised release for each count.
Officials emphasized that an indictment is only an allegation, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.