A man from Colorado Springs, Carl Howard Payne, Jr., is facing charges related to interstate threats against Tesla owners and the 47th Presidential Cabinet. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado announced the charges of Interstate Communication of Threats.
The criminal complaint outlines that threatening emails were sent on or around March 20, 2025, from the email address betweensaltandstart@proton.me to various news media outlets. The emails included a "Declaration of War" against the U.S. Presidential Cabinet and announced plans to murder Tesla owners starting April 17, 2025, continuing until the death of Elon Musk.
On the same day, Payne allegedly sent identical threats to ProPublica and Thomson Reuters in New York through a Signal account identified as "c". Furthermore, on April 2, 2025, similar letters were reportedly deposited for delivery by the Postal Service to various insurance companies. These letters falsely indicated they were sent from "The White House" but had Denver postmarks.
Investigators tracked Internet Protocol address data from Proton Mail and other sources, pointing to Payne as the user behind the Proton Mail and Signal accounts used to send the threatening messages.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation's Denver Field Office is leading the investigation, while Assistant United States Attorney Jasand Mock handles the prosecution.
It is emphasized that charges in this complaint are only allegations, and Payne is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.