Two men from Wichita have pleaded guilty in separate federal cases involving social media threats against government officials, the U.S. Department of Justice announced.
According to the Justice Department, both cases centered on threats posted to social media platforms. The threatened acts described in each case involved murdering federal officials, the agency said.
The Justice Department confirmed that both men are now convicted felons as a result of their respective guilty pleas. The two cases were handled separately, though both originated in Wichita and both involved threats directed at federal officials through social media.
The Justice Department did not identify the specific platforms used or name the federal officials who were targeted. What the agency made clear is that each man faced charges tied to online statements describing the killing of federal government figures, and that each chose to plead guilty rather than proceed to trial.