YouTube commenter arrested over threats to ICE, FBI agents
An Oklahoma YouTube user was arrested after repeatedly posting comments threatening to kill ICE and FBI agents, triggering an emergency alert from Google to federal authorities.
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An Oklahoma man and avid YouTube user has been charged after posting more than a dozen YouTube comments threatening to kill ICE and FBI agents, along with other targets he deemed unworthy of existing.
- An Oklahoma man was arrested for posting violent threats on YouTube.
- Google reported the comments to federal authorities as an emergency risk.
- The suspect faces up to five years in prison if convicted.
Key Takeaways by nexos.ai, reviewed by Cybernews staff.
The US Department of Justice says 30-year-old YouTube user, Taylor Ryan Prigmore of Oklahoma, was reported to authorities by Alphabet’s Google after making “several threatening statements” in the comments sections of various uploaded videos.
The FBI was notified about the death threats on January 17th via its FBI National Threat Center, and was picked up by agents two days later.
Officials say Prigmore had been posting he wanted to kill Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, Republicans, and MAGA supporters, since May 2025, but in the week leading up to his arrest, the suspect had posted at least eight comments escalating his rhetoric.
According to court filings, based on their content, Google believed that immediate disclosure was “required to avert the emergency and imminent death or serious bodily injury to a person or persons.”
Google immediately erased the comments from the platform and forwarded them, along with Prigmore’s account information, to law enforcement.
How authorities tracked the suspect
Prigmore was allegedly registered under the Google user name “Adrian Tepes” and the YouTube account holder “@adriantepes6426” to post the comments.
During that last week, Prigmore also threatened to kill any law enforcement officers who came to his residence, stating he would kill “as many as possible.”
“As attacks on law enforcement rise around the country, this Department of Justice will continue to identify and prosecute violent threats against the brave men and women who keep us safe,” said US Attorney General Pamela Bondi.
“Hiding behind a screen will not protect you from severe legal consequences.”
The FBI was able to locate Prigmore using his Google account information, by tracking the IP address associated with the comments, and pinging his Cricket Wireless cell phone, after requesting an Emergency Disclosure from AT&T.
On January 19th, Prigmore was charged with violating Title 18, United States Code, Section 875(c), by communicating a threat through interstate commerce, and was ordered detained pending trial in Oklahoma.
If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of five years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine.
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