A 26-year-old Massachusetts man was taken into custody this past Friday following allegations that he sent a violent threat to a victim over email. Alden Welch Ruml now faces a federal charge of transmitting a threat in interstate commerce to injure another person.
According to officials, Ruml is scheduled to make his first appearance in a Boston federal court later today to address the indictment.
The investigation centers on an email sent on February 28, 2026. Investigators allege that Ruml targeted a victim with obscene language and a specific, graphic threat of physical violence.
The indictment claims the message stated Ruml would be “happy” when the victim’s face was “canoed by an assault rifle.” This specific language led to the federal intervention and subsequent arrest.
If convicted, the legal stakes for Ruml are significant. The charge carries a potential penalty of up to five years in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. Additionally, he could be ordered to pay a fine as high as $250,000. Under the federal system, any final sentence would be determined by a district court judge using the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines.
The arrest was announced by United States Attorney Leah B. Foley alongside Ted E. Docks, the Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Boston Division. The government’s case is being led by Assistant U.S. Attorney Chris Looney.
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