MIAMI
– Ryan Wesley Routh, 59, was sentenced today to life plus 84 months in
federal prison for the attempted assassination of then-presidential
candidate Donald J. Trump and related violent and firearms offenses.
U.S.
District Judge Aileen M. Cannon imposed the sentence following Routh’s
conviction by a federal jury on all five counts charged in the
indictment.
“Ryan Routh’s heinous
attempted assassination of President Trump was not only an attack on our
President — it was a direct assault against our entire democratic
system," said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “Thanks to our prosecutors
in the National Security Division and the Southern District of Florida,
Routh will never walk free again.”
“Routh
attempted to assassinate President Trump and thereby cast our Nation
into what would have been one of its darkest periods,” said Assistant
Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg. “Today’s
sentence is a resounding rejection of political violence and a clear
reminder that we resolve our differences through civil discourse,
democratic elections, and lawful protest, not by force.”
“This
life sentence reflects a fundamental truth: political violence is
un-American and will never be tolerated,” said U.S. Attorney Jason A.
Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida. “An attempted
assassination of a presidential candidate is an attack on our democratic
process and the rule of law itself. This assassination attempt was
stopped by the courage and professionalism of U.S. Secret Service
Special Agent Robert Fercano, whose decisive actions protected lives and
prevented a national tragedy. Today’s life sentence ensures the
defendant will never again threaten public safety and sends a clear
message that those who choose violence to advance their beliefs will
face swift, certain, and decisive justice.”
“Routh’s
plan to kill a major presidential candidate, President Donald Trump,
was a despicable attack on our democratic system,” said FBI Director
Kash Patel. “Thanks to the work of the FBI and our Justice Department
partners, he will pay a high price for his actions. Today’s sentencing
demonstrates the justice system will not tolerate such heinous attacks.”
“Political
violence is unacceptable in the United States, and this sentence is
commensurate with the gravity of Routh’s actions,” said Special Agent in
Charge Brett Skiles of the FBI, Miami Field Office. “The investigation
was immense and left no stone unturned. The FBI worked shoulder to
shoulder with the Secret Service, ATF, the Palm Beach Sheriff’s Office,
and the Martin County Sheriff’s Office. The FBI covered leads across the
country and around the globe using all the tools and techniques at our
disposal to include FBI Laboratory analysis, the Computer Analysis
Response Team and the Cellular Analysis Survey Team. I commend our law
enforcement partners and investigative team for their tireless work
which led to today’s result.”
In
September 2025, after a two-week trial in Fort Pierce, a jury found
Routh guilty of attempted assassination of a major presidential
candidate, assault of a federal law enforcement officer, and multiple
firearms offenses.
According to
evidence presented at trial, then-U.S. Secret Service Special Agent
Robert Fercano was patrolling one hole ahead of President Trump at the
Trump International Golf Club when he observed Routh pointing what
appeared to be an AK 47-style rifle at him from a sniper’s hide
concealed in a fence line bordering the golf course. Fearing for his
life and the life of President Trump, Special Agent Fercano fired at
Routh, who fled the scene.
Law enforcement officers later recovered a
Norinco SKS rifle equipped with a scope, a loaded magazine containing
19 rounds of ammunition and one round in the chamber, steel armor
plates, and a camera affixed to the fence and pointing at the sixth
green of the golf course where President Trump was about to play golf.
A
civilian witness reported seeing Routh run across a roadway and enter a
black Nissan Xterra. Based on that information, Routh was apprehended
while traveling northbound on I-95 by officers from the Martin County
Sheriff’s Office, with assistance from the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s
Office.
A search of Routh’s vehicle
revealed multiple mobile phones and a list of international flights
along with directions to Miami International Airport. Cell phone records
showed that between Aug. 18 and Sept. 15, 2024, Routh’s phone accessed
cell towers located near Trump International Golf Club and the
President’s residence at Mar-a-Lago on multiple occasions.
Testimony
at trial also established that Routh had dropped off a box at a
witness’s residence in April 2024 after making another trip to the area
near the golf course. Inside the box was a handwritten letter addressed
“Dear World,” in which Routh stated, among other things, “This was an
assassination attempt on Donald Trump but I am so sorry I failed you.”
U.S. Attorney Reding Quiñones and Special Agent in Charge Skiles announced the sentence.
FBI
Miami investigated the case with assistance from the U.S. Secret
Service and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The
Palm Beach Sheriff’s Office and Martin County Sheriff’s Office also
assisted with this case.
Senior Counsel
John C. Shipley, Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher B. Browne,
National Security Division Chief Maria K. Medetis Long, Special
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Luce for the Southern District of
Florida, and Trial Attorneys James Donnelly and John Cella of the
Justice Department’s National Security Division Counterterrorism Section
prosecuted the case.
Related court
documents and information may be found on the website of the District
Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov under case number 24-cr-80116.
Posts
