MINNEAPOLIS — A federal jury convicted a 68-year-old Minnesota man of 20 criminal counts involving threats to kill federal judges and elected officials, federal prosecutors announced last week.
Jeffrey Allen Petersen, of Minnetonka, was found guilty Oct. 15, 2026, of 10 counts of threatening to murder U.S. judges and elected officials and 10 counts of transmitting threats to injure people across state lines.
Federal agents searched Petersen’s home and seized electronic devices. Forensic examinations linked Petersen to email accounts used to publish the threats.
Prosecutors said the threats targeted eight federal judges, including a U.S. Supreme Court justice, and at least four elected federal officials.
The jury returned guilty verdicts on all 20 counts following a trial before U.S. District Judge Patrick J. Schiltz.
A sentencing hearing has not yet been scheduled.
Fact checklist
Defendant: Jeffrey Allen Petersen
Age: 68
Residence: Minnetonka, Minnesota
Federal district: District of Minnesota
Charges: 20 federal counts
Threatening murder: 10 counts involving U.S. judges and elected officials
Interstate threats: 10 counts involving threats to injure
Verdict: Guilty on all 20 counts
Conviction date: Oct. 15, 2026
Presiding judge: U.S. District Judge Patrick J. Schiltz
U.S. attorney: Daniel N. Rosen
Sentencing: Not yet scheduled
According to prosecutors, the investigation began in July 2025 after the U.S. Marshals Service received a report of threatening online comments about a federal judge in Maryland.
Investigators traced an internet protocol address associated with the comments to Petersen’s Minnetonka residence. Prosecutors said Petersen used online usernames associated with notorious mass murderers, including the perpetrators of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting and the 2011 Norway attacks.
The FBI and U.S. Marshals Service investigated the case.