Valeriy Kouznetsov, Threatening the President, Virginia 2025

Alexandria, VA – A Reston man has been sentenced to two years and four months in prison for sending threats online to kill the President, announced the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia.

Valeriy Kouznetsov, 41, was sentenced to 29 months in prison for making multiple threats toward the President of the United States, his family, and other government officials between Feb. 15, 2025, and May 15, 2025.

According to court documents, Kouznetsov posted these threats on X (formerly Twitter), some of which he sent directly to the X accounts belonging to the President and other officials. For example, on March 28, 2025, Kouznetsov posted a message threatening the President with a “7/13 secret service repeat Philadelphia,” a reference to the July 13, 2024, attempted assassination of President Trump at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.

Kouznetsov has a history of threatening the life of the President. In July 2020, Kouznetsov approached the Trump International Hotel in Washington, climbed over the bike rack fencing, and attempted to enter the facility. When he encountered hotel staff, Kouznetsov threatened to harm hotel employees and stab the President.

Kouznetsov was previously convicted of threatening to kill or injure the President in 2020 and sentenced to two years and three months in prison and a three-year term of supervised release. On April 5, 2023, Kouznetsov was arrested on a supervised release violation after he entered the area around the White House. His supervised release was revoked, and he was sentenced to a year and a day in prison.

The U.S. Secret Service’s Washington Field Office investigated this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lauren Halper and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Jacob Mercer prosecuted the case.

Kouznetsov has been ordered to serve his sentence in a federal prison. A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:25-cr-271.

Related Federal Cases