TLDR
Michael James Argo, 46, of Austin pleaded guilty this week in federal court in Austin.
The charge is one count of interstate communications with a threat to injure or kidnap.
Prosecutors say he posted threats on X against FBI Director Kash Patel and FBI employees on June 7, and again from Sept. 13 to Sept. 18.
An FBI agent contacted him about the first posts on July 30.
He faces up to five years in federal prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000.
An Austin man has pleaded guilty to a federal charge over threats he posted on X against FBI Director Kash Patel and FBI employees, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Texas announced on Thursday, Nov. 12.
The charge
Michael James Argo, 46, pleaded guilty to one count of interstate communications with a threat to injure or kidnap. U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons announced the plea. The office's release says the plea was entered this week and does not give the date.
Timeline
June 7: Argo used X to make several public threats to injure and kill Patel and FBI employees, according to court documents cited by prosecutors.
July 30: An FBI agent contacted Argo about the threats.
Sept. 13 to 18: Argo posted additional threats to injure, kill and kidnap Patel, after he knew about the investigation, prosecutors say.
Sept. 20: A criminal complaint was filed.
What the complaint describes
The complaint includes multiple posts from Argo's X profile, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. One threatens to "kidnap and gender reassign" Patel. Other posts include photos in which Argo was brandishing a firearm. He also threatened the agent who first contacted him.
The FBI opened the investigation after receiving a tip about the June 7 posts, the Austin American-Statesman reported, citing the affidavit. Agents tried to interview Argo at his Austin home in July and left voicemails before sending a text message on July 30, the Statesman reported. The Statesman also reported that the posts included threats against President Donald Trump.
Sentencing
Argo faces up to five years in federal prison, three years of supervised release and a maximum fine of $250,000. A federal district court judge will decide the sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other factors. A sentencing date has not been announced.
The FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Britni Verdeja is prosecuting it.
Sources
U.S. Attorney's Office, Western District of Texas, press release (Nov. 12, 2026)
Austin American-Statesman (Nov. 12, 2026)
KXAN (Nov. 12, 2026)
Header photo: the United States Courthouse in downtown Austin, where the plea was entered. Photo by Billy Hathorn via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0.
