BANGOR — A Waterville man pleaded guilty Friday in federal court to making threatening interstate communications.
Benjamin Brown, 47, posted comments on YouTube, threatening to hunt down and kill illegal immigrants, court papers say. He wrote that no one could stop him from killing illegal immigrants, not even law enforcement.
Brown was arrested in March 2024 in Waterville after nearly three years of making threats online.
Federal agents had met with Brown twice before to discuss other comments he had posted online, and they had warned him about the federal crime of interstate threats.
“You can’t threaten to kill people, like Benjamin Brown did, and not face repercussions,” said Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Boston Division, in a news release. “The FBI and our partners have to take you at your word and intervene, because protecting human life is our absolute priority.”
The affidavit for Brown’s arrest details several threats against political officials that he posted online in 2021. Additionally, the FBI disclosed in the same document that it was alerted by Google LLC’s Cyber Crime Investigation Group about more threats made in 2023 by an email address that traced back to Brown through his name and phone number. The FBI traced the IP address attached to the threats and traced it back to Brown’s address in Waterville.
When the FBI interviewed Brown in April 2023 about his posts, he did not deny making the threats and said it is his free speech right to do so. The FBI advised Brown to read the definitions for Interstate Threatening Communications. The FBI told Brown that all statements online do not constitute free speech.
“Brown said he was only ‘venting’ and that did not mean to sound threatening,” the affidavit said. “Brown also claimed that he uses Google voice to text, which does not always correctly transcribe what he said. Brown described himself as a peaceful person.”
Brown faces up to five years in prison, a fine of $250,000 and up to three years of supervised release, according to the news release from the United States Attorney’s Office District of Maine that was sent on Friday afternoon. He will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigative report by the U.S. Probation Office.
“Despite being repeatedly warned about his online comments, Benjamin Brown not only made threats to kill others, but basically dared law enforcement to stop him,” said acting U.S. Attorney Craig M. Wolff. “Online threats are no less serious than those made in other ways, and those who make them will be investigated and prosecuted.”
The FBI and the U.S. Secret Service investigated the case with assistance from the Waterville Police Department.