A Michigan man who shares the same initials as Vice President JD Vance has been sentenced to 2 years in federal prison for threatening to kill President Donald Trump, Vice President Vance, and a member of the President’s family, federal prosecutors announced.
James Donald Vance Jr., 67, of Grand Rapids received his sentence on Monday in federal court, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Michigan. Prosecutors said Vance — who went by the online alias “Diaperjdv” — posted multiple violent threats on the social media platform Bluesky during March and April 2025.
In these posts, Vance allegedly made explicit statements about killing President Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and one of Trump’s children. In one of the messages, he wrote that he didn’t care whether he was shot by Secret Service agents or spent the rest of his life in prison, signaling he was fully aware of the seriousness of his threats.
Vance ultimately pleaded guilty to two federal felonies: threatening to kill or injure the President and Vice President, and making interstate threatening communications. Each offense carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.
This case marks the second time in a month that someone in the Western District of Michigan has been sentenced for threats against President Trump. On October 20, Richard James Spring of Comstock Park received an 18-month prison sentence and a $2,000 fine after pleading guilty to threatening to kill the President.
U.S. Attorney Timothy VerHey said the sentence reflects the seriousness of threatening violence against elected leaders, stating that when Vance declared his intent to kill the President and Vice President “simply because he disagreed with them,” he crossed a clear line and “had to be punished.”
