A 58-year-old Colorado Springs man is facing federal charges after allegedly sending chilling emails across the country threatening to kill former President Donald Trump, Elon Musk, and Tesla vehicle owners — in what he described as a “Declaration of War,” federal prosecutors revealed.
Carl Payne is accused of sending graphic and detailed threats to multiple media outlets, including ProPublica and Thomson Reuters, beginning around March 20. In his emails, Payne reportedly described how “terminations” would be carried out — at victims’ homes, on the road, while shopping, or even at Tesla charging stations, which he referred to as “Nazi charging stations.”
In one email, prosecutors say Payne wrote, “We will continue this Operation until Elon Musk’s death. He is no longer welcome to be alive.”
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado has charged Payne with interstate communication of threats. A federal affidavit alleges that Payne also tried to mail similar threats to several insurance companies, with envelopes falsely marked as being from “The White House,” although they were postmarked from Denver.
Investigators linked the messages to Payne through IP address data and other digital evidence compiled by the FBI.
In the emails, Payne allegedly stated, “We have declared war on the 47th Presidential Cabinet of the United States of America,” and claimed responsibility for future “newsworthy killings” that he said would begin on April 17, 2025.
The threats referenced a violent ideology and included detailed suggestions for municipalities to prepare for simultaneous electric vehicle fires and HAZMAT evacuations in areas with what he called “high Swasticar density” — a derogatory term used by some online to refer to Tesla cars.
Payne also allegedly compared his planned attacks to last year’s high-profile murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, attributing his motivation to the media’s failure to ask “specific questions” of government officials.
He reportedly wrote: “The media accepts the morsels they’re given for a chance to be close to the action. We’ll get you closer.”
Authorities say Payne also researched Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh in the days leading up to the threats.
Payne is scheduled to appear in federal court in Denver on Tuesday, April 22.
If convicted, he could face significant prison time for the alleged threats spanning multiple states and targeting high-profile individuals.