Honolulu Man Charged with Threatening to Kill Michigan Governor and Attack State Capitol

HONOLULU — Ronald Saville, 48, of Honolulu, was charged by criminal complaint on June 1, 2026, with sending interstate communications containing threats, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Hawaii announced Tuesday.

The single-count complaint alleges Saville transmitted threats to kill Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer and to carry out a mass shooting at the Michigan State Capitol. Federal law prohibits interstate transmission of any communication containing a threat to injure the person of another or to damage property by means of fire or explosives.

The charge affects one defendant but activates the full federal threat-prosecution pipeline. Once charged by complaint, the government must present the case to a grand jury for indictment within 30 days or seek an extension. Saville faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison if convicted.

The filing shifts the case from investigative to judicial status. Arraignment must occur promptly after Saville is brought into custody or appears voluntarily. Pretrial detention hearings, discovery deadlines, and motion practice now begin in U.S. District Court for the District of Hawaii.

Michigan state authorities will receive formal notification and may be asked to preserve evidence or provide victim-impact information under the Crime Victims’ Rights Act.

This is the latest federal prosecution of an alleged interstate threat directed at a state elected official and legislative building. The Department of Justice has pursued similar cases against individuals who used phone calls, emails, or social-media messages to threaten governors and state capitols following the 2020 election cycle and the events of January 6, 2021.

Per the June 2, 2026, Department of Justice press release, U.S. Attorney Ken Sorenson’s office is handling the prosecution.