A 46-year-old Pensacola man is facing a federal charge after authorities say he made a criminal threat against the President of the United States.

According to the United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida, Markus E. Hamlett has been indicted by a federal grand jury on one count of making a threat against the President.

U.S. Attorney John P. Heekin announced the charge on Tuesday.

Hamlett made his initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Hope T. Cannon at the federal courthouse in Pensacola. His trial is scheduled for April 6, 2026, before U.S. District Judge M. Casey Rodgers.

If convicted, Hamlett faces up to five years in federal prison and a fine of up to $250,000.

The case was investigated by the United States Secret Service, the agency tasked with protecting the President, along with the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher C. Patterson is prosecuting the case.

Federal officials emphasized that an indictment is merely an allegation. Hamlett is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 federal offices serving as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General.