Colorado Springs Man Charged with Making Threats Regarding Tesla Owners and the Presidential Cabinet

DENVER – The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado announces that defendant Carl Howard Payne, Jr., of Colorado Springs, was charged with Interstate Communication of Threats.

According to the criminal complaint, on or about March 20, 2025, threatening emails were sent from betweensaltandstart@proton.me to various news media outlets across state lines. The emails detailed a “Declaration of War” against the 47th Presidential Cabinet of the United States and further described how Tesla owners would be murdered on April 17, 2025, and thereafter, until the death of Elon Musk.

Also on March 20, 2025, Payne sent the same email to ProPublica and Thomson Reuters, both in New York, from Signal user “c”. And on or about April 2, 2025, Payne deposited or caused to be deposited similar threatening letters for delivery by the Postal Service to several insurance companies. The return address on the letters indicated they were from “The White House,” but the letters were postmarked in Denver.

A review of Internet Protocol (IP) address information from Proton Mail, along with other information, indicates that Payne is the user of the Proton Mail account and the Signal account from which the threatening emails originated.

The investigation is being handled by the Denver Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.  The prosecution is being handled by Assistant United States Attorney Jasand Mock.

The charges in the complaint are allegations and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

Case Number:  25-mj-00081-NRN