A New York man who allegedly posted videos to X threatening to "put a bullet" in U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro's head, and suggested he might kill President Trump, has been arrested on federal charges.
Daniel Kretsinger, of Hauppauge, New York, was taken into custody August 11 after a federal criminal complaint charged him with transmitting a threat to injure a person across state lines, a charge that carries up to five years in federal prison. A magistrate judge then released Kretsinger to an inpatient psychiatric treatment program over the government's objection, a decision that drew sharp criticism from Pirro's office.
The case centers on two videos Kretsinger allegedly posted to X on June 30. In one, the New York Post reported, Kretsinger appeared shirtless and visibly agitated, directing profanity-laced threats at Pirro, the top federal prosecutor in the nation's capital.
The criminal complaint, filed in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York, quotes Kretsinger's alleged words directly. In the first video, he allegedly said:
"Because you're such a lying despicable piece of s***, I'm specifically targeting you when I come to Washington, D.C., and put a bullet directly between your eyes c***."
He allegedly added: "And if Trump keeps up his bulls*** I may kill the president too."
Minutes later, a second video followed. In it, Kretsinger allegedly stated:
"I'm gonna come to DC very f***in soon sweetheart and I'm gonna put a bullet in your f***in head. I love you, you evil lying dirt bag thieving f***ing b***!"
Law enforcement located Kretsinger on July 9 and interviewed him. He acknowledged the X account where the videos were posted was his. He also acknowledged he had previously traveled to Washington, D.C., Florida, and Long Island in what the complaint described as efforts to find Pirro.
That detail, a suspect who not only made graphic threats but admitted to crossing state lines to track down his target, elevates the case beyond a run-of-the-mill social media outburst. Federal prosecutors clearly agreed. An arrest warrant was issued August 7, and the U.S. Marshals Service took Kretsinger into custody four days later.
Despite the severity of the alleged threats and Kretsinger's admitted travel history, a magistrate judge released him to an inpatient psychiatric treatment program. The government objected to the release. Kretsinger must remain in the program as a condition of his release.
The decision to release a defendant who allegedly threatened to shoot a sitting U.S. Attorney, and who admitted to traveling across multiple states searching for her, raises obvious questions about pretrial detention standards. Prosecutors wanted Kretsinger held. The judge overruled them.
A spokesperson for Pirro's office responded firmly:
"No one should ever be threatened or targeted for violence. Public officials are no exception, and we commend the United States Marshals Service for its swift action."
Kretsinger did not respond to a request for comment from the New York Post. It remains unclear whether he has retained legal counsel.
The federal charge of transmitting a threat to injure a person across state lines carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison. The criminal complaint was filed earlier in August in the Eastern District of New York. The specific federal statute cited in the charge was not identified in public reporting.
Several questions remain unanswered. The content of the Pirro X post that Kretsinger allegedly replied to has not been disclosed. The specific dates and circumstances of his alleged travel to find Pirro, spanning Washington, Florida, and Long Island, have not been detailed beyond his own acknowledgment to investigators. And the name of the magistrate judge who ordered his release has not been made public.
Threats against public officials have become a persistent problem in American political life. But when a suspect doesn't just rant on camera, when he admits to traveling state to state looking for the person he threatened, the system owes the public more than a psychiatric referral and a release order over the government's own objection. Accountability starts with taking the threat seriously enough to keep the accused where prosecutors say he belongs.
