A 45-year-old California man is facing federal prosecution in Minnesota after allegedly sending a series of threatening text messages to FBI Special Agents following a chaotic security breach in Minneapolis.
United States Attorney Daniel N. Rosen announced Friday that a federal grand jury has returned a five-count indictment against James Patrick Lyons, charging him with the interstate transmission of threats to injure five federal law enforcement officers.
The legal trouble for Lyons stems from a January 14 incident where an immigration-related protest in Minneapolis escalated into significant property damage. According to court documents, a large group of protesters vandalized FBI-owned vehicles, stealing weapons, ammunition, and government equipment.
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During the turmoil, sensitive documents were seized that contained the personal details of federal employees, including phone numbers, email addresses, home addresses, and driver’s license numbers.
While the protest was reportedly sparked by an immigration enforcement action, federal officials clarified that the FBI personnel at the location “were on scene to investigate an officer-involved shooting and not for any immigration enforcement.”
The situation intensified when the personal information of five FBI Special Agents was broadcast across the internet. On January 18, 2026, those five agents began receiving a series of intimidating messages on their government-issued cell phones.
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An investigation by the FBI traced the phone number back to Lyons. Investigators noted that “all five text messages used similar language and asserted in part that the sender knew who the Special Agents were and where to find them.”
The case is currently being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with Assistant United States Attorney Benjamin Bejar leading the prosecution. Lyons now faces the legal weight of the federal government as the court examines the digital trail that led to his arrest.
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