Vice President JD Vance Threatened by Man Also Named JD Vance. Now the 67-Year-Old JD Will Serve 2 Years in Prison By Michael Nied

A man who shares the same initials as JD Vance was sentenced to two years in federal prison after making threats against the vice president, as well as President Donald Trump, Elon Musk and Donald Trump Jr.

A Monday, Nov. 17 statement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Michigan confirmed that James Donald Vance Jr. had been sentenced by U.S. District Judge Paul L. Maloney in Kalamazoo, Mich.

The sentencing was related to posts that James made on the social media platform Bluesky in March and April 2025. In the messages, “he made specific threats to kill four people, including President Donald J. Trump and Vice President JD Vance,” the release stated.

“In one message, he proclaimed that he did not care whether he was shot by Secret Service or would spend the rest of his life in prison for his actions,” the attorney’s office said.

James used the Bluesky handle “Diaperjdv” to make the posts.

A court filing obtained by PEOPLE quoted the following message from James: “If tRump, Vance, or Musk ever come to my city again, they will leave it in a body bag.”

He continued, “I will either be shot by a secret service sniper or spend the rest of my life in prison. I’ve only got about 10 years of life left anyway so I don’t f—ing care either way.”

In a separate post, James referenced plans to “murder” Trump Jr. “before he gets secret service protection.” The comment appeared to be in reference to another user’s post titled “Donald Trump Jr. Considering a Run for President in 2028,” according to the court filing.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Michigan noted that James “pled guilty to two felony offenses: threatening to kill or injure the President and Vice President and interstate threatening communications.”

Each charge could have netted James five years in prison and upwards of a $250,000 fine.

James was arrested in June and entered his guilty plea the following month.

Public defender Helen C. Nieuwenhuis described James as a “first-time offender with serious physical and mental health issues” in a Monday, Nov. 10, court filing asking the judge to sentence him to probation instead of prison.

“His statements, while unacceptable, were rhetoric — not plans — and he never took any step to harm anyone,” the filing read. “He cooperated immediately, consented to searches and admitted his conduct.”

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William Shink, Special Agent in Charge of the United States Secret Service’s Detroit Field Office, addressed the case in the statment from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, saying, “Threats against our nation’s leaders and their families will not be tolerated.”

Shink continued: “Individuals who threaten the President, Vice President or any U.S. Secret Service protectee will be investigated and held accountable for their actions.”

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It is not clear if James ever went by his initials beyond the use of his online alias. The vice president’s full name is James David Vance; however, he goes by JD.

The United States District Court for the Western District of Michigan did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for additional information.