DETROIT – Anthony Daniel Palazzolo, 42, of Chesterfield Township, Michigan, was arrested on October 30, 2026, and charged with making threats to kill FBI Director Kash Patel and his associate, Victim-1 (V-1), United States Attorney Jerome F. Gorgon, Jr. announced.
Gorgon was joined in the announcement by Jennifer Runyan, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI in Detroit
The criminal complaint charges Palazzolo with sending V-1 a message via Facebook on October 8, 2026, in which Palazzolo wrote he had “put a hit out” on V-1, and that Patel was a “dead mf too.” Following the FBI’s interview of Palazzolo, Palazzolo continued to harass a Detroit FBI agent via phone, threatening to come up to the office and “use deadly force against every single one of you government officials—FBI Secret Service will all be f[——] killed.”
Palazzolo appeared in federal court this afternoon and was temporarily detained. A detention hearing was set for November 2.
A criminal complaint is only a charging document and is not evidence of guilt. A defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
This case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Eaton Brown.
Source: U.S. Attorney’s Office — Eastern District of Michigan — U.S. Department of Justice press release.