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Federal prosecutors say Benjamin Azariah Southworth, a Los Angeles podcaster once tied to a faith‑based TV show and now associated with a program called “Yass, Jesus!,” was indicted by a federal grand jury and arrested after allegedly threatening to kill President Donald Trump and harassing the family of the president’s personal attorney. The U.S. Attorney’s Office and the FBI moved quickly, and the case is now in the hands of federal prosecutors who say they will pursue the matter to the fullest.
Federal indictment and arrest
According to prosecutors, the grand jury returned an indictment charging Southworth with threatening to kill the president, cyberstalking, and making harassing interstate calls. Authorities arrested him at his Westlake neighborhood apartment in Los Angeles after the indictment. First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli summed it up plainly: “Threats against the President of the United States are federal crimes.” FBI leadership also called the alleged threats “vile and criminal.”
What prosecutors allege
Prosecutors say the alleged conduct includes videos and social posts calling for violence, publishing home contact information for the attorney’s family, and leaving menacing voicemails that warned “justice comes to your door.” Court summaries and reporting note claims of merchandise tied to the online activity and images that depicted violent intent. These are allegations in an indictment; Southworth is entitled to the presumption of innocence while the case moves through court.
Why this case matters
Threats of political violence are not debate — they are crimes. Free speech protections don’t cover doxxing and assassination threats, and it’s encouraging to see law enforcement respond fast when lines are crossed. Call it plain common sense: when someone starts selling violent slogans and targeting private family information, the state has to act. The left’s performative moralizing about “safety” gets hollow when activists flirt with violence; accountability needs to be evenhanded and swift.
Expect more from the Central District of California docket in the coming days — arraignment, formal filings, and the usual back‑and‑forth over charges and representation. Until then, the arrest of Benjamin Azariah Southworth is a reminder that rhetoric has limits, and federal prosecutors like Bill Essayli and agents in FBI Los Angeles will enforce those limits. This isn’t about ideology; it’s about keeping political conflict from tipping into criminal conduct — and sending a message that threats against President Donald Trump, or any leader, won’t be treated as harmless online theater.
