Michigan man charged with threatening to kill FBI Director Kash Patel in chilling messages
WASHINGTON, DC: A federal case against a 42-year-old Michigan man is moving forward after prosecutors accused him of threatening to kill FBI Director Kash Patel and later making threats against agents in Detroit.
Investigators say the allegations stem from a Facebook message sent earlier this month, followed by a phone call in which he allegedly warned an FBI agent that he would use deadly force against officials at the field office.
The man remains in federal custody and is expected back in court on Monday, November 2.
🚨ARRESTED🚨 A man in Michigan was arrested yesterday for allegedly threatening to kill FBI Director Kash Patel. Anthony Daniel Palazzolo allegedly threatened to kill an associate and then directed another threat to Patel by saying, "dead mf too." He also allegedly threatened to sodomize a government official. He allegedly told law enforcement he sent the messages and apologized for it. He also claimed he had "no intent to harm anyone," according to the criminal filing. Palazzolo has a prior 2018 charge after making a false bomb threat.
— Breanna Morello (@BreannaMorello) October 31, 2026
Man charged over threats to Kash Patel
The case against Anthony Daniel Palazzolo centers on two alleged threats: a Facebook message warning that Patel was “dead too” and a later phone call in which he threatened an attack on the FBI’s Detroit office.
Prosecutors say the first warning was sent on October 8 to an associate of FBI Director Kash Patel.
In the message, Palazzolo allegedly claimed that he had “put a hit out” on the recipient before adding that Patel was also marked for death.
The FBI's investigation then moved from social media to direct contact.
After agents interviewed Palazzolo about the messages, he allegedly continued calling an investigator in Detroit.
During one conversation, he allegedly threatened to visit the bureau's office and use deadly force against federal officials, including FBI personnel.
But investigators also described a different side to the encounter.
An FBI agent said Palazzolo acknowledged sending the messages when questioned, apologized and claimed he had never intended to hurt anyone.
The allegations led to his arrest on Friday, October 30.
US Attorney Jerome F Gorgon Jr announced the development with Jennifer Runyan, who heads the FBI's Detroit office.
Palazzolo appeared in federal court in Detroit later that day and was detained. He is charged with transmitting threatening interstate communications, a felony.
Suspect's criminal record raises eyebrows
The FBI says Palazzolo has a lengthy record of cases in Michigan, Texas and Florida.
They include a 2018 charge for falsely reporting a t****r threat and a separate case involving an alleged fabricated bomb threat.
The outcomes of those earlier cases have not been laid out in the information released so far.
Patel has been the subject of other threat cases before.
In March, federal prosecutors charged Alden Welch Ruml, a 26-year-old from Massachusetts, with sending a threatening email to Patel’s girlfriend Alexis Wilkins. Ruml pleaded not guilty.
The federal judge allowed him to leave custody on personal recognizance, while directing him to undergo mental health counseling.
As for the present criminal complaint, Palazzolo is presumed innocent unless a court finds otherwise.
Whether he stays in custody while his case proceeds will be the first question before the judge on Monday.
