A Pennsylvania man is facing a federal indictment for allegedly threatening to “assassinate” former Democratic presidential candidate and Vice President Kamala Harris during the 2024 election in posts on social media.
The suspect, identified as 37-year-old Steven Hartford of Shippensburg, is accused of making menacing comments on videos posted to TikTok, warning the former vice president that he would “assassinate her.”
A federal grand jury indicted Hartford last week, charging him with making threats against a major candidate for the office of president, according to a press release from the Department of Justice.
The indictment alleges that Hartford, using the handle thealex13one13, first threatened Harris in a comment on a 17-second TikTok video posted by the Daily Mail on July 21, 2024. The video was captioned “Will Kamala Harris be the next Democratic nominee?”
The DOJ says Hartford replied, “I will assassinate her if she runs for pres.”
The Daily Mail published another post, this time a 12-second TikTok video featuring Harris, accompanied by a caption that asked, “Could [the Candidate] replace Joe Biden?” The government says Hartford, as thealex13one13, then “made other comments on TikTok about and directed toward the Presidential Candidate, including: ‘22 250 coming her way;’ ‘5.56 for her;’ and ‘5.56 waiting for her.’”
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania says Hartford’s arrest was part of Operation Take Back America, the Trump administration’s nationwide effort to arrest and deport migrants in the country illegally, eliminate drug cartels and transnational criminal organizations and protect communities from violent crime.
Hartford pleaded not guilty to the charges during his first court appearance on Monday, according to Law & Crime. His trial is scheduled to begin on Aug. 25, 2025. He’s facing up to 10 years in prison if convicted on the federal charges.
It’s not the only death threat Harris has received. A Virginia man, identified as Frank Lucio Carillo, was arrested last August and charged with threatening to kill the former presidential candidate. Carillo was accused of making threats, not only against Harris, but former President Joe Biden, former FBI Director Christopher Wray, several Arizona officials and others on the right-wing social media platform Gettr, according to CNN, citing court records.
The FBI found more than 4,300 posts from Carillo targeting Harris and “various public officials.” Court records show Carillo allegedly threatened to cut out Harris’ eyes and mentioned other ways he wanted to kill her.
The FBI reportedly was able to track him down using the email address connected to his GETTR account, which led to a cellphone and an address in Winchester, Virginia.
