Former President Donald Trump subject of threats from Queens man, feds say

A Queens man was arrested Monday on charges of threatening to "acquire weapons" to kill former President Donald Trump, telling Secret Service agents he was standing up to "fascism," federal prosecutors said.

Thomas Welnicki, 72, of Rockaway Beach, was charged with threatening to kill, kidnap, and inflict bodily harm on Trump, referred to in the criminal complaint as "Individual 1."

Welnicki was arraigned during a virtual hearing Monday and released on a $50,000 bond, electronic home monitoring and mandatory mental health and alcohol counseling.

Charging documents indicate that Welnicki was upset with Trump's false allegations that he did not lose the 2020 election to now-President Joe Biden.

In July 2020, Welnicki told Capitol Hill Police in an interview that if Trump lost the election and refused to step down he would "acquire weapons" and "take him down," charging documents state. Welnicki told authorities he did not want to hurt anyone "but I will stand up to fascism," later adding "I really hope that God takes [Trump] out."

On Jan. 4, Welnicki called the Secret Service’s Long Island office from his cellphone and left two voicemail messages, each time threatening to kill Trump and 12 unnamed lawmakers that he believed supported his claims that the election had been stolen.

"I am going to do anything I can to take out [Trump]," Welnicki reportedly said in one message. "Oh yeah that’s a threat, come and arrest me. I will do anything I can to take out [Trump] and his 12 monkeys … If I had the opportunity to do it in Manhattan that would be awesome … Tomorrow [Trump] will be in Georgia, maybe I will."

Welnicki's attorney, Deirdre Von Dornum of the Brooklyn Federal Defenders office, said her client presents no actual threat to the former president.

"I certainly understand the government's assertion that some of the comments allegedly made are beyond provocative. This is a person who has not left New York City in 15 years; has no weapons whatsoever," she said. "The bulk of his calls seem to be him calling Secret Service to discuss with them his concerns."

A Trump spokeswoman did not respond to requests for comment.

Welnicki made several additional calls to the Secret Service's New York Field Office from Sept. 24 through Dec. 2 in which he inquired about their protection of Trump and his children, how could Welnicki arrange a protest on Pearl Harbor Day and referring to the former president as "Hitler."

"I will do everything I can to make sure [Trump] is dead," he said in a November call, later adding that "there is a contract out to kill [Trump]."

During a Dec. 2 call, Welnicki told Secret Service agents "the new Civil War could break out and taking up arms against the government is justified when ballots don’t matter," charging documents state.

By Robert Brodsky

robert.brodsky@newsday.com@BrodskyRobert

Robert Brodsky is a breaking news reporter who has worked at Newsday since 2011. He is a Queens College and American University alum.