DENVER — A man from Colorado Springs faced charges for allegedly issuing threats towards Tesla owners, as detailed in a statement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office District of Colorado.
Carl Howard Payne, Jr., was charged with interstate communication of threats.
A criminal complaint shows that on March 20, 2025, threatening emails were sent to media outlets across state lines.
The communication, named “Declaration of War,” contained menacing remarks targeting President Trump’s cabinet members and outlined plans to harm Tesla owners on Thursday, April 17, 2025, until Elon Musk met his demise.
The same email was sent to ProPublica and Thomson Reuters, which is a New York-based companies, from Signal user “c.”
Around April 2, similarly threatening letters were delivered to insurance companies through the United States Postal Service.
The return address listed “The White House,” but the letters were postmarked in Denver.
Following an examination of the IP address linked to a mailing service named Proton Mail and additional evidence, it was established by the U.S. Attorney’s Office that Payne was the individual behind the email account.
Further investigation is being led by the Denver Field Office of the FBI, and prosecution will be led by Assistant United States Attorney Jasand Mock.
A Colorado Springs man was charged after allegedly threatening Tesla owners
