A 67-year-old Grand Rapids, Michigan, man who shares initials and a last name with Vice President JD Vance, was sentenced to two years in federal prison this week for threatening on social media to kill the president, vice president, and others. James Donald Vance Jr. admitted guilt to felony charges for making threats to harm or kill the president and vice president, along with sending threatening communications across state lines.
U.S. District Judge Paul Maloney, of Kalamazoo, handed down the 24-month sentence on November 17, followed by three years of supervised release. The defendant, who is not related to Vice President JD Vance despite the similar name, posted threatening messages on the social media platform BlueSky during March and April under the account handle “Diaperjdv.”
In one particularly alarming post dated April 1, Vance Jr. wrote that if President Donald Trump, Vice President Vance, or Elon Musk visited his city, they would leave in a body bag. He further declared he would either be shot by a Secret Service sniper or spend the rest of his life in prison, adding that with only about 10 years of life left, he did not care either way. Prosecutors also noted he threatened one of the president’s children in his posts.
The case began when a grand jury indicted Vance Jr. in June. He pleaded guilty to all charges in July. Each count carried a maximum sentence of up to five years in prison. Federal prosecutors had initially sought a sentence between 30 and 37 months, arguing the defendant deserved stricter punishment.
A DOJ source confirms he pleaded guilty to TWO felony offenses at sentencing (the third charge was apparently dropped as part of plea negotiations), though he initially faced three charges.
In February, prosecutors noted, Vance Jr. had posted a photo of a firearm on BlueSky. They argued this demonstrated he was capable of acting on his threats and warranted a stiffer sentence. Defense attorneys, however, contended that because the threats occurred online and no firearm was used in the commission of a crime, stricter sentencing guidelines should not apply.
Court-appointed attorneys Sean Tilton and Helen Niewenhuis argued for a lighter sentence, presenting evidence that their client suffered mental abuse as a child and currently deals with various health issues. They emphasized that Vance Jr. had no prior criminal history, suggesting this was an isolated incident from someone without a pattern of criminal behavior.
U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Michigan Timothy VerHey addressed the broader implications of the case in a statement. He stated that the rise of the internet offers a valuable chance for people to participate in the constructive exchange of ideas essential to democracy, but noted that some individuals instead exploit it to threaten and intimidate, creating fear and undermining democratic principles.
He added that when Vance said he planned to kill the president and vice president simply because he disagreed with them, he crossed a line everyone understands and therefore had to be punished.
William Shink, Special Agent in Charge of the United States Secret Service’s Detroit Field Office, reinforced the government’s position on such threats. He stated that threats against the nation’s leaders and their families will not be tolerated, emphasizing that individuals who threaten the president, vice president, or any Secret Service protectee will be investigated and held accountable for their actions.
This case represents the second such incident in Western Michigan’s federal district in recent weeks. In October, Richard Spring of Comstock Park was sentenced to 18 months in prison for making threats against President Trump on social media platforms. Spring pleaded guilty to one count of threatening to kill or injure the president.
The coincidence of names in this case adds an unusual dimension to an otherwise serious federal prosecution. Vice President JD Vance was born James Donald Bowman before his name was changed during childhood, and he later adopted his grandparents’ surname as an adult. The defendant shares the same initials and last name but has no familial connection to the vice president.
BlueSky, the platform where the threats were posted, functions similarly to other social media networks like X and Threads. The platform has grown in popularity as an alternative social media space, though it faces the same challenges as other networks in moderating threatening content and cooperating with law enforcement investigations.
The sentencing reflects the federal government’s firm stance on protecting elected officials and their families from threats, particularly in an era when social media provides unprecedented access for individuals to directly communicate violent intentions. Such cases serve as warnings that online anonymity does not shield individuals from prosecution when they cross the line from protected speech into criminal threats.
