A New York man who allegedly posted videos to social media vowing to "put a bullet" in U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro's head, and who admitted traveling to multiple states to find her, has been arrested and charged under federal law.

Daniel Wayne Kretsinger, of Hauppauge, New York, was taken into custody on August 11 after federal prosecutors say he posted two videos to X on June 30 directly threatening to kill Pirro, the U.S. Attorney for Washington, D.C. A criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York charges Kretsinger with transmitting a threat to injure a person across state lines, a federal offense carrying up to five years in prison.

A federal magistrate judge then released Kretsinger, over the government's objection, to an inpatient psychiatric treatment program, where he is required to remain. The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York confirmed the release conditions but did not identify the judge or the facility.

Kretsinger allegedly threatened both Pirro and President Trump

The criminal complaint, as reported by the New York Post, lays out what Kretsinger allegedly said in two videos posted to X in response to a post on Pirro's account. In the first video, Kretsinger appeared shirtless and visibly agitated. The complaint quotes him saying:

"Because you're such a lying despicable piece of s***, I'm specifically targeting you when I come to Washington, D.C., and put a bullet directly between your eyes c***. And if Trump keeps up his bulls*** I may kill the president too."

Minutes later, the complaint says, Kretsinger posted a second video with an equally explicit threat:

"I'm gonna come to DC very f***in soon sweetheart and I'm gonna put a bullet in your f***in head. I love you, you evil lying dirt bag thieving f***ing b****!"

The language was not ambiguous. It named a target, named a city, and described a specific act. Federal law treats that kind of communication as a crime, not protected speech.

Kretsinger told investigators he had already traveled to find Pirro

Law enforcement located and interviewed Kretsinger on July 9, nine days after the videos appeared. During that interview, he acknowledged that the X account where the videos were posted belonged to him. More alarming, he told investigators he had previously traveled to Washington, D.C., Florida, and Long Island "in efforts to find" Pirro.

That admission transforms the case from an angry rant into something far more serious. Kretsinger was not simply mouthing off from behind a screen. He had, by his own account, already taken steps to locate the person he was threatening to shoot.

Pirro has been one of the most visible federal prosecutors in the country during her tenure as D.C. U.S. Attorney. She has handled politically sensitive cases, including a high-profile shooting case that drew national attention and legal challenges.

An arrest warrant for Kretsinger was issued on August 7. The U.S. Marshals Service took him into custody four days later, on August 11.

Pirro's office praised the Marshals, but the court let Kretsinger walk

A spokesperson for Pirro's office issued a statement after the arrest:

"No one should ever be threatened or targeted for violence. Public officials are no exception, and we commend the United States Marshals Service for its swift action."

But the Marshals' swift action was followed by a decision that undercut it. A magistrate judge released Kretsinger to an inpatient psychiatric program over the government's explicit objection. The Eastern District's U.S. Attorney's Office confirmed the release and the condition that Kretsinger must remain in the facility, but offered no further detail.

The government wanted Kretsinger held. A judge disagreed. That is the system working as designed, but it raises an obvious question: what happens if Kretsinger leaves the program? The complaint describes a man who made graphic, specific threats against a sitting U.S. Attorney and the President of the United States, and who admitted he had already traveled across state lines trying to find his target.

Pirro's role has put her at the center of several politically charged moments. She drew scrutiny earlier this year when she broke with the administration on a high-profile case, a decision that led to public friction with the White House.

That friction extended further when President Trump denied discussing certain prosecutorial decisions with Pirro and Attorney General Blanche, a statement that underscored the political pressures surrounding her office.

A five-year maximum sentence and unanswered questions

Kretsinger faces a maximum of five years in federal prison if convicted. He did not immediately respond to the New York Post's request for comment. Whether he has entered a plea or retained legal counsel remains unclear from available court records.

Several questions remain open. The criminal complaint does not specify when Kretsinger's prior trips to Washington, Florida, and Long Island occurred, or how close he came to locating Pirro during those travels. The specific post on Pirro's X account that prompted his alleged reply has not been identified publicly.

Pirro has remained active in her prosecutorial duties throughout the period. She recently announced felony charges in a vandalism case at the World War II Memorial in Washington, part of a broader pattern of aggressive enforcement under her office.

The timeline tells its own story. Kretsinger posted the threats on June 30. Law enforcement interviewed him on July 9. The arrest warrant came on August 7. He was in custody by August 11. And then a judge sent him to a treatment program instead of a cell, while the government argued he should stay locked up.

When a man admits he has already crossed state lines hunting a federal prosecutor, and then posts videos promising to shoot her, the system owes the public more than an inpatient referral and a promise he will stay put.