A homeless man was arrested in Knoxville after he allegedly made a series of threats to kill local and federal political figures, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Eastern District of Tennessee announced.
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) press release states that Garry Lee Williams, 44, was arrested by FBI agents in Knoxville on July 16 in response to a criminal complaint accusing him of “interstate transmission of threats to kill public officials.”
Williams (pictured above) is accused of violating 18 U.S.C. 875(c), a Class D felony offense that can carry a sentence of up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.
According to the DOJ, “Williams made repeated posts and videos on social media, including TikTok, in which Williams threatened to kill President Donald J. Trump, FBI Director Kash Patel, Knox County Sheriff Tom Spangler, and Knoxville Police Chief Paul Noel.”
Made publicly available this week, the affidavit reveals law enforcement first received a report from the public about content uploaded to a TikTok account prosecutors say was associated with Williams in May, when he allegedly threatened to kill government officials and their children.
In one post included in the affidavit, Williams allegedly included a list of politicians whom he instructed to “kiss your family goodbye,” and “look over [your] shoulders day and night, worry [about] [your] kids or grandkids at school not knowing if I’m around.”
Williams allegedly urged TikTok users to “[s]creen shot this” and send his post to Knox County Sheriff Tom Spangler and KPD Chief Paul Noel, whom he purportedly wrote would “bleed too,” before claiming he was “homeless from being targeted” by public figures.
The affidavit states law enforcement made contact with Williams on May 24 and that he acknowledged making the statements but denied having any plans to act on them.
During this encounter, the affidavit states that authorities determined Williams “appeared to be homeless and residing in his vehicle.” It later states that surveillance cameras appeared to capture Williams parking his vehicle in a gas station parking lot, in such a fashion that his license plate number would be obscured, on multiple occasions.
While the affidavit notes Williams “expressed his firm belief that corrupted government officials/politicians and the like need to be held accountable for their criminal actions,” he was apparently released without charges in May.
More than a month later, the affidavit states that another member of the public, identified as B.H., contacted the FBI due to concern over videos allegedly uploaded to TikTok by Williams.
According to the complaint, B.H. had no connection to Williams, and the video uploaded to social media had no likes or comments when viewing it on the platform. B.H. “felt obligated” to report the video to the FBI because “he/she was shocked by what he/she saw.”
The court document ultimately identifies more than a dozen alleged threats by Williams against public officials made between March and May.
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Tom Pappert is a 2025 recipient of the Dao Prize and the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star. He also reports for the Star News Network. Follow Tom on X. Email tips to [email protected].
