A Waterville man plead guilty in U.S. District Court in Bangor Friday to threatening to kill undocumented immigrants online.
Court records state that 47-year-old Benjamin Brown made the comments on YouTube back in February of 2024, saying that no one could stop him from hunting down and killing undocumented immigrants, not even law enforcement.
After being tipped off about Brown’s comments by Google’s Cyber Crime Investigation Group, both the FBI and US Secret Service investigated his online activity, with the FBI meeting with Brown twice and warning him about the federal crime of interstate threats for previous comments he made online. These comments were directed towards political figures like then-president Joe Biden, Maine Senator Susan Collins, and Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.
“Despite being repeatedly warned about his online comments, Benjamin Brown not only made threats to kill others, but basically dared law enforcement to stop him,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Craig M. Wolff.
Brown faces up to five years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and up to three years of supervised release.
To read the original Bangor Daily news article, click here.
