Ex-Marine Sentenced for DC Threat
PHOTO CAPTION: Illustrative photo: The U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. Federal prosecutors said former Marine Jay Anthony Villarreal was driving toward Washington with an AR 15, two pistols and ammunition when friends and family convinced him to turn around. Architect of the Capitol photo.
A former Marine who federal prosecutors say drove toward Washington, D.C., armed with an AR 15 rifle, two pistols and boxes of ammunition while threatening to violently overthrow the government has been sentenced to 27 months in federal prison.
Jay Anthony Villarreal, 25, of Hondo, Texas, was sentenced Wednesday by U.S. District Judge Fred Biery.
A federal jury convicted Villarreal in June of one count of interstate threatening communication.
According to the Justice Department, Villarreal left his home in Hondo on June 28, 2025, intending to carry out an attack in Washington.
Inside his vehicle were an AR 15 rifle, a .45 caliber semiautomatic pistol and a 9mm semiautomatic pistol, along with extra loaded magazines and multiple boxes of ammunition for each firearm.
Investigators also found a police scanner, binoculars and a copy of the Texas Penal Code in the vehicle.
Prosecutors said Villarreal used social media as part of his plan and attempted to recruit military veterans to join him.
Villarreal had previously served in the Marine Corps. Marine Corps records show he enlisted in 2019 and graduated from recruit training at Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego in April 2021.
The planned attack never occurred.
According to prosecutors, a friend in Maryland saw Villarreal's social media posts on June 29, 2025, believed they indicated the possibility of a mass killing and contacted the FBI.
Another acquaintance in Hondo also reported Villarreal's messages to local police.
At the same time, multiple friends and family members contacted Villarreal while he was driving toward Washington and persuaded him to turn around.
Villarreal turned back near Beaumont, Texas, and returned home that evening.
FBI agents later searched his home and found two U.S. military smoke grenades in addition to the firearms and other equipment that had been in his vehicle.
Villarreal was arrested July 2, 2025.
After a federal trial in San Antonio, a jury convicted him on June 17, 2026, of interstate threatening communication.
The 27 month sentence imposed Wednesday is for that offense.
Villarreal was not convicted of attempting to overthrow the government or of carrying out an attack in Washington.
At sentencing, Villarreal spoke about his plans for life after prison and told the judge he wanted to return to farming, according to the San Antonio Express News.
The judge said Villarreal would receive credit for approximately one year he has already spent in custody.
In addition to the prison sentence, Villarreal will serve three years of supervised release.
He was also ordered to forfeit his firearms and ammunition.
The Justice Department credited the people close to Villarreal who reported his statements to authorities and continued communicating with him while he was traveling.
The FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force investigated the case with assistance from the San Antonio Police Department, Hondo Police Department and University of Texas at San Antonio Police Department.
(Source: OAF Nation)
