❓WHAT HAPPENED: A man was arrested for allegedly posting a $45,000 bounty on U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi’s life via TikTok.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Tyler Maxon Avalos, a 29-year-old Minnesota resident, and U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi.
📍WHEN & WHERE: Avalos was detained on October 16, following a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) investigation into his TikTok post.
💬KEY QUOTE: “[Avalos] has a multistate conviction history including a July 2022 felony stalking conviction,” noted the FBI affidavit.
🎯IMPACT: Avalos faces federal charges and a potential prison sentence for interstate transmission of a threat to injure another person.
A 29-year-old Minnesota man, Tyler Maxon Avalos, has been arrested by federal agents after allegedly offering a $45,000 bounty for the killing of U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi. According to court filings, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) detained Avalos on October 16 after receiving a tip about what investigators described as an online “murder-for-hire” plot.
Authorities say Avalos posted a photo of Bondi on TikTok with a red target symbol over her forehead and the caption: “WANTED: Pam Bondi / REWARD: 45,000 DEAD OR ALIVE (PREFERABLY DEAD).”
Federal agents say Avalos used the screen name “Wacko” and linked to an “An Anarchist FAQ book” on his profile, suggesting anarchist ideological motives.
Court documents reveal Avalos has a history of violence, including convictions for felony stalking in 2022 and felony domestic battery in 2016, as well as a reduced charge of misdemeanor domestic assault that same year. He now faces a federal charge of interstate transmission of a threat to injure another person. If convicted, he could face years in federal prison.
Filings refer to Avalos’s “anarchist ties.” His attorney, Daniel Gerdts, declined to discuss the case in detail but insisted his client “is not guilty of any crime.” Pam Bondi has not issued any public comment on the matter.
The arrest comes amid a broader national focus on left-wing extremist groups and anarchist movements. Recent incidents involving Antifa-style agitation have drawn renewed attention from law enforcement. Earlier this month, a man wearing an “Antifa-style mask” was arrested for allegedly opening fire on a Trump supporter’s home after attempting to remove a pro-Trump banner. Federal prosecutors have also brought the first-ever terrorism charges against self-described Antifa members following a sniper attack on a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility.
Meanwhile, Rutgers professor Mark Bray, author of Antifa: The Anti-Fascist Handbook, has reportedly left the United States, fearing reprisals. Bray has denied being part of Antifa, stating, “I’m not now, nor have I ever been.”
Notably, the Trump administration directed banks and financial institutions to monitor possible funding of Antifa and other left-wing domestic terror groups in recent weeks.
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