The FBI has arrested a Minnesota man with alleged anarchist ties and a lengthy rap sheet after federal agents accused him of putting out a $45,000 bounty on Attorney General Pam Bondi.
Court documents said agents took Tyler Maxon Avalos, 29, into custody Oct. 16 on charges of making interstate threats by posting the “murder for hire” plot on a TikTok account linked to him.
The post showed a picture of Ms. Bondi with a crosshair on her forehead and the text “Wanted: Pam Bondi. Reward: 45,000. Dead or Alive. (Preferably dead).”
The post came from an account named “Wacko” and included the caption, “*cough cough.* when they don’t serve us then what?”
The “a” in “Wacko” resembled a symbol for anarchy, according to the court filings, and the account also had “An Anarchist FAQ” pinned to the profile.
The FBI said a tipster in Detroit contacted officials about the alleged threat on Oct. 9. Agents submitted emergency disclosure requests to TikTok, and then Google and Comcast, to trace the account to the suspect, court documents said.
While running a background check on Avalos, authorities said the suspect had several past convictions.
Past offenses include a felony stalking conviction from July 2022 in Dakota County, Minnesota; a felony domestic battery conviction from August 2016 in Polk County, Florida, and a misdemeanor domestic assault from April 2016 in Dakota County. The affidavit said the domestic assault offense in Dakota County had been downgraded from a felony charge of strangulation.
A federal judge released Avalos on bond last week with a promise to return for his next court date in December. He agreed to GPS monitoring and no unapproved internet access.
Avalos faces up to five years in federal prison if he’s convicted.
• Matt Delaney can be reached at mdelaney@washingtontimes.com.
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