A federal judge in Virginia has ordered the detention of a Virginia man accused of threatening to kill Ric Grenell, a senior presidential envoy, longtime ally of President Donald Trump, and the current president of the Trump Kennedy Center, underscoring the Justice Department's increasingly aggressive posture toward threats against federal officials.

Scott Allen Bolger, 33, was charged by criminal complaint in the Eastern District of Virginia with transmitting threats in interstate commerce and making false statements to federal investigators.

"I am grateful to Pam Bondi, Kash Patel and Lindsey Halligan for finding this deranged individual and locking him up," Grenell wrote Tuesday night on X.

Prosecutors allege Bolger sent threatening messages Dec. 23 using Google Voice, a service that allows users to send text messages from phone numbers not tied to their primary devices.

According to court documents, the messages included a threat to kill a federal employee.

While the initial press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office identified the target only as a "federal employee," Justice Department officials later confirmed that the individual was Richard "Ric" Grenell, who currently serves as a special envoy to the president and as head of the Kennedy Center.

Bolger was arrested after federal task force officers traced the threatening messages back to him.

When officers arrived at his McLean residence and identified themselves as federal law enforcement, Bolger allegedly attempted to evade responsibility by falsely identifying himself as "Brian Black" and claiming he did not know anyone named Scott Bolger.

U.S. Magistrate Judge William Fitzpatrick ordered Bolger detained pending trial, determining that he should not be released while the case proceeds.

Justice Department officials described the decision to hold the suspect without pretrial release as relatively rare and a significant step given the seriousness of the alleged threats.

"Threats of violence are serious crimes with serious consequences," said Lindsey Halligan, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, in a statement.

"Those who target federal employees should know that we will investigate and prosecute these offenses to the fullest extent of the law."

Halligan, who was installed earlier this year, attended the arraignment in Alexandria, Virginia, though she did not play a formal role in the proceedings.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Gavin R. Tisdale is prosecuting the case.

If convicted, Bolger faces up to five years in federal prison.

Any sentence would ultimately be determined by a federal district court judge after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. As with all criminal cases, the charges are allegations, and Bolger is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.

Grenell was not present at the arraignment, but a victim impact statement attributed to him was read aloud during the hearing.

In the statement, Grenell acknowledged that public officials routinely face harassment and angry messages because of their political views, which he described as a protected form of expression.

"But today is much different," Grenell said in the statement. "Today we are dealing with someone who went far beyond sharing his angry opinion. Today we see a man who wants to kill someone because of their political differences."

Grenell warned that violent rhetoric must be taken seriously, citing recent acts of political violence and the need for clear consequences.

"The people doing what he is doing, and there are many, must be given clear instructions from community leaders that their calls for shooting people in the head will have swift and severe consequences," he said.

The arrest and detention come amid heightened concern about threats against high-profile public officials across all branches of government.

Law enforcement officials say advances in technology and anonymous messaging platforms have made it easier for individuals to issue threats, while the polarized political climate has contributed to an increase in hostile and violent rhetoric.

A criminal complaint, prosecutors emphasized, is only an accusation.

The case will now proceed through the federal court system as authorities continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding the threats.