Staff Reports
A Westlake man and one-time podcaster, Benjamin Azariah Southworth, was arrested this week after a federal grand jury returned a three-count indictment accusing him of threatening President Donald Trump and cyberstalking the President’s former personal lawyer and that lawyer’s family. The arrest shows federal prosecutors and law enforcement are willing to move quickly when threats cross the line from angry words to possible violence.
Federal indictment and Los Angeles arrest
The U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Central District of California says the grand jury charged Southworth with one count of threatening the President, one count of cyberstalking, and one count of interstate telephonic harassment. Federal agents arrested him at his Westlake residence and he is due to appear in U.S. District Court in downtown Los Angeles for arraignment. The case was handled by the Secret Service and the FBI, with the government promising vigorous prosecution.
What prosecutors say he posted and said
According to the indictment, prosecutors allege Southworth used YouTube, Instagram, TikTok and a website to urge harassment and to call for violence. An April Instagram video allegedly included statements like “I have been vocal in calling for the execution of Donald Trump” and “Kill Donald Trump.” The charges also allege he posted the home address and photographs of Jay Sekulow, the attorney who once represented President Trump, and left abusive voicemails and harassing calls for Sekulow’s family. That pattern is exactly what federal cyberstalking and threat statutes are meant to stop.
Law enforcement response and legal stakes
Attorney General Todd Blanche, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the Secret Service and the FBI all stressed that threats against the President and cyberstalking are serious federal crimes. First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli warned of “zero tolerance for political violence.” If convicted, Southworth faces up to five years for the threats count, up to five more for the cyberstalking charge, and additional time for telephonic harassment. An indictment is only an allegation, of course, but the charges make clear federal authorities view online threats as criminal acts, not political flair.
Here’s the blunt takeaway: speech that crosses into targeted threats and stalking is not protected by platform safe spaces or partisan excuses. Conservatives should say so plainly — we support vigorous political debate, but not violence or doxing. Law enforcement did the right thing by stepping in, and platforms that let people post addresses and direct calls to family members without swift action should be called out. This case will now move through the federal courts, where the allegations will be tested, and where justice — not loud online mobs — should decide the outcome.
