Ohio Man Threatened To Kill Federal Agents, Indictment Says

BOARDMAN, OH — Justin Olsen, an 18-year-old Boardman man, has been accused of threatening to kill federal agents, the Department of Justice announced.

"Protecting citizens’ freedom of speech is a main priority for the FBI, but when you call for the killing of federal officers you have crossed the line,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Eric B. Smith.

The FBI originally began investigating an account with the username ArmyofChrist on iFunny in early 2019. The account posted several comments in support of mass shootings, the indictment against Olsen said, drawing the attention of law enforcement.

A subpoena for information on the account was issued after the FBI saw ArmyofChrist, in a thread on the 1993 siege of a Waco, Texas compound, write a comment which read, "In conclusion, shoot every federal agent on sight."

Google tracked the ArmyofChrist email and told the FBI the account belonged to Justin Olsen, 18, from Boardman, Ohio, the indictment said. Boardman is a suburb south of Youngstown.

The FBI said they discovered further messages from Olsen's account advocating breaking the law, including posts telling readers to stock up on guns and to go out of their way to break laws. "Hell, even the Oklahoma City bombing shows that armed resistance is a viable method of political change," the ArmyofChrist account wrote, according to the indictment.

In early August, federal agents took Olsen into custody. According to the indictment, the 18-year-old said his posts were "only a joke." Inside the home of Olsen's father, where the 18-year-old stayed, the FBI said they found 10,000 rounds of ammunition and a gun vault, with AR-15s and shotguns inside.

The FBI worked with Boardman police on the investigation.

Olsen was indicted in federal court this week on one count of threatening to assault and abet others to assault federal law enforcement officers engaged in the performance of official duties and one count of making threatening communications interstate.

“Every law enforcement officer takes an oath to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States,” U.S. Attorney Justin Herdman said. “Anyone who threatens those same law enforcement agents is committing a crime, not engaging in some form of protected speech. When those threats are made, especially where someone possesses the means to act on those threats, we take it seriously and will seek criminal charges.”