PEORIA, ILL. — This is an official press release from the U.S. Department of Justice (Department of Justice), published as received.
PEORIA, Ill. – An El Paso, Illinois, man, Derek Lopez, 27, has been charged in federal court with making threats against President Donald J. Trump. Lopez was arrested on October 28, 2025. Preliminary and detention hearings are scheduled for Monday, November 3, 2025, at 2 p.m. at the federal courthouse in Peoria, Illinois.
If convicted, Lopez faces a maximum sentence of five years’ imprisonment.
The investigation was led by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Springfield Field Office, with assistance from the United States Secret Service, the El Paso Police Department, the Woodford County Sheriff’s Office, and the Illinois State University Police Department.
The case is being prosecuted by Criminal Chief Darilynn J. Knauss.
Members of the public are reminded that the charges in a complaint are merely accusations, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.
