Department of Justice Press Release February 4th 2026
Today, Ryan Wesley Routh, 59, was sentenced 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 for the Southern District of Florida 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’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.”
“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.”
“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, Florida, 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.
Rifle Behind Fence Line
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.”
Routh Handwritten Letter
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.
Updated February 4, 2026
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.
— Attorney General Pamela Bondi (@AGPamBondi) February 4, 2026
Thanks to our @TheJusticeDept prosecutors in the National Security Division and the Southern District of…
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