Social media companies helped federal law enforcement identify two men this week who allegedly made online threats to kill Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. 

On Thursday, the Justice Department announced that the social media company X helped identify a 21-year-old Justin Mesael Novoa, who allegedly posted online, “can’t wait to shoot these … p***y ice agents and r******d maga maggots.”

MAGA is a reference to “make America great again,” a slogan promoted by President Donald Trump. Novoa reportedly told federal agents, “So Elon does give you access to that [X],” a reference to X owner Elon Musk.

The Justice Department announced Wednesday that Google helped identify a 30-year-old Oklahoma Taylor Ryan Prigmore who posted a YouTube video where he said he would kill “as many [agents] as possible.”

“As attacks on law enforcement rise around the country, this Department of Justice will continue to identify and prosecute violent threats against the brave men and women who keep us safe,” Attorney General Pamela Bondi said in a public statement regarding the Oklahoma case.

“Hiding behind a screen will not protect you from severe legal consequences.”

FBI Director Kash Patel also commented on the Oklahoma case. 

“If you threaten to harm law enforcement officers, the FBI and our partners will find you and hold you accountable,” Patel said in a statement. “There will be no free passes for threats against the hard-working men and women who wear the badge and protect our communities.”

Both men are presumed innocent. 

Threatening to kill a federal officer is a crime punishable by up to 10 years in prison. Making threatening interstate communications carries a potential penalty of up to five years in prison.

According to the Justice Department, on Jan. 17, Google representatives notified the FBI about several threats made by a YouTube user, Prigmore, of McCloud, Oklahoma. 

The federal complaint says Prigmore allegedly left eight comments last week alone expressing his desire to kill federal agents and others. He also allegedly threatened to kill any law enforcement officers who came to his home. The threatening posts began in May 2025, according to the Justice Department.

U.S. Attorney Robert J. Troester for the Western District of Oklahoma will lead the prosecution. Prigmore is reportedly being represented by the federal public defender’s office for the Western District of Oklahoma. 

Jeffrey Byers, the federal public defender for the Western District of Oklahoma, did not have a comment on the case at this time, a staffer in the office told The Daily Signal on Friday. 

U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio Dominick S. Gerace’s office announced charges against Novoa for allegedly making threatening interstate communications, including threats to assault or murder a federal law enforcement officer.

According to charging documents, personnel from X notified Homeland Security Investigations in December 2025 about threats to ICE employees on the social media platform X. 

Federal agents searched Novoa’s home in December 2025 and seized multiple firearms, according to the Justice Department. When agents entered his home, Novoa reportedly said, “Alright, you got me. That was me,” and “So Elon does give you access to that.”

The federal public defender’s office for the Southern District of Ohio did not immediately respond to phone and email inquiries about this story. 

The Daily Signal contacted both Google and X for this story. Neither responded by publication time.

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