Lake Co. Man Sentenced To Federal Prison For Threatening Trump, Public Officials

LAKE COUNTY, IL — A Winthrop Harbor man has been sentenced to more than three years in federal prison after being convicted of making threats to kill multiple public officials, including President Donald J. Trump, federal prosecutors said.

Trent Schneider, 58, was sentenced Wednesday by U.S. District Judge Sharon Johnson Coleman to three years and two months in prison after a federal jury convicted him of making a true threat in interstate commerce to injure another person, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Illinois.

Prosecutors said Schneider posted a video of himself on Instagram on Oct. 21, 2025, in which he threatened violence against public officials, including judges, doctors, lawyers, police officers and Trump.

In the video, Schneider made statements threatening to obtain firearms and calling for people to be killed, including saying, “People need to [expletive] die and people are going to die,” and “especially you Trump. You should be executed,” according to prosecutors.

The same day, Schneider appeared at the Lake County courthouse while involved in a pending foreclosure case and allegedly told the judge presiding over the case that he would burn the courthouse down.

The case was investigated by the U.S. Secret Service with assistance from the Lake County Sheriff’s Office and the Winthrop Harbor Police Department.

“Threats against public officials are an attack on our democracy and must be met with swift and serious consequences,” U.S. Attorney Andrew S. Boutros said in a statement announcing the sentence.