On Tuesday, a federal grand jury indicted Manuel Tamayo-Torres of Tolleson on several charges. These include four counts of making false statements during the purchase of a firearm, one count of threats against the President and successors to the presidency, one count of interstate threatening communications, and one count of possession of a firearm by a person subject to an order of protection.
The complaint states that Tamayo-Torres was convicted in 2003 in California for assault with great bodily injury, classified as a felony. In July 2023, an Arizona court issued an order of protection against him for two years. This order restrains him from harassing, stalking, or threatening his ex-wife. Both the conviction and the protective order prohibited him from possessing firearms. Despite these restrictions, Tamayo-Torres attempted to buy firearms twice in November 2023. He falsely claimed he had not been convicted of a felony and was not under any protective orders.
In November 2024, Tamayo-Torres allegedly posted threats on social media against the President-elect of the United States. These included threats to kill the President-elect and harm his family. In at least one post, he displayed a firearm while making these threats. Authorities later found this firearm along with others at his residence.
Convictions for making false statements during firearm purchases, threats against presidential successors, or interstate threatening communications carry maximum penalties of five years imprisonment and fines up to $250,000 each. Possession of a firearm by someone prohibited can result in up to 15 years imprisonment and similar fines.
Tamayo-Torres was arrested based on this complaint in San Diego on November 25, 2024. He remains detained pending a detention hearing in Arizona's District Court. An indictment is merely an accusation and does not imply guilt; individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond reasonable doubt by evidence presented to a jury.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives' Phoenix Field Division and the United States Secret Service's Phoenix Field Office are leading the investigation with assistance from the United States Marshals Service and U.S Attorney’s Office in Southern California. The prosecution is being handled by the U.S Attorney’s Office for Arizona's District in Phoenix.