Former soldier pleads guilty to threatening to kill military members, families on YouTube channel
The seal of the US Department of Justice in Washington, DC on March 21, 2024. (Photo by Mandel NGAN / AFP) (Photo by MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images)
RIVERSIDE, Calif. - A former U.S. soldier pleaded guilty to threatening to kill soldiers and their families in a video shared on his YouTube account, according to officials.
Christian Ernest Beyer of Petaluma pleaded guilty to one count of sending threats via interstate communication, the Department of Justice announced Friday.
According to court documents, Beyer's threats were directed at military members stationed at Fort Irwin Army base, in San Bernardino County, as well as their families. Beyer is accused of posting a video to his personal YouTube account in October 2023, which according to the DOJ, "contains multiple threats directed at four victims and their families."
While the specific video named in the charges no longer appears on Beyer's YouTube channel, others still up on the page show Beyer voicing his desire to "take up arms" against law enforcement, calling them "the enemy of this f------ country."
Beyer is an Army veteran who was formerly stationed at Fort Irwin. The DOJ said he was court-martialed in 2021 for assault.
Federal officials arrested Beyer in November 2023, and he's been in custody ever since.
"Our military servicemembers deserve our utmost appreciation and respect, not fear and intimidation," United States Attorney Martin Estrada said in a press release. "Threats against our servicemembers, as against all public servants, cannot and will not be tolerated."
Beyer will be sentenced in September. He faces a maximum sentence of five years in federal prison.