Maine man faces 5 years in prison, fine of $250,000 after conviction for threatening tweets

A man from Buxton, Maine has been found guilty of transmitting a threatening interstate communication just over two years after posting on Twitter, that he wanted to "kill Jews" with his AR-15. 

Brian Dennison, 27, now faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. He is scheduled to be sentenced by a federal district judge after the United States' Probation Office completes its pre-sentence investigation report.

In a December 7 press release, the Department of Justice explained that Dennison had been found guilty by a jury following a three day trial in the US District Court in Portland presided over by Chief Judge Jon D. Levy. He has been released with numerous bail conditions.

According to News Center Maine, a Counterterrorism Watch Officer with the Federal Bureau of Investigation testified that he was originally alerted to a tweet sent by Dennison under the handle @Ma1lus on September 8, 2021 which read, "I'm building a pipe bomb." A search of his profile revealed the tweet in question, in which Dennison stated, "I'm going to kill jews with my ar15 tomorrow." The tweet was quickly deleted.

A search warrant for Dennison's apartment was obtained and executed a short time later. Agents discovered an AR-15, other firearms, and "approximately 1,700 rounds of ammunition that could be fired from an AR-15-style rifle," as well as "evidence that Dennison had a long-standing animus toward Jewish people."

During the execution of a second search warrant in October 2021, agents found an "AR-15 style rifle and ammunition in a case that had been hidden in the woods behind the residence," which, as News Center Maine reports, was attached to his parents' home.

When agents found no evidence that Dennison had intended on carrying out an attack on Jews, he was charged with transmitting threatening interstate communication. Prosecutors alleged nonetheless that the fact he did, in fact, own an AR-15 and hundreds of rounds of ammunition was evidence that he could have committed the violent action.

The defense argued that he had just made a bad decision and never meant to follow through with his threat.