A federal judge Wednesday sentenced a Winthrop Harbor man to more than three years in prison for threatening President Donald Trump and others, saying she found it “rich” that prosecutors sought an even stiffer sentence after Trump pardoned scores of Jan. 6 rioters.
The sentencing of Trent Schneider, 58, comes more than three months after a jury found him guilty of making a threat with a video he posted online last fall. In the video, he railed against people he thought had done him wrong and ultimately dropped the president’s name.
Federal prosecutors originally sought a five-year prison sentence for Schneider. Assistant U.S. Attorney Hanna Helwig lowered that request to four years during Schneider’s two-day sentencing hearing.
Still, U.S. District Judge Sharon Johnson Coleman said she was bothered by the feds’ original recommendation.
“We have a ton of people — hundreds that have been pardoned — who, you know, tried to execute threats and harm to people who were law enforcement and government officials at the House of Representatives at the Capitol, and they all got pardoned,” Coleman said Wednesday.
“That is the irony of this whole situation,” she added, “and gets this court extremely upset.”
For his part, Schneider told the judge he’d been the victim of “conscience shocking” government misconduct. He said “it’s mind blowing” that he’s already been held in custody for eight months. He pretended to yawn Wednesday while the judge handed down the sentence.
Because of an ongoing scandal at the Dirksen Federal Courthouse over alleged prosecutor misconduct during grand jury proceedings, Coleman reviewed grand jury transcripts from Schneider’s case ahead of his sentencing. She asked Helwig to clarify one remark — apparently made as Helwig struggled with tech issues — but identified no wrongdoing.
Schneider’s threat came against the backdrop of foreclosure proceedings against him in Lake County. His home was ultimately set for auction Nov. 4, 2025, according to a criminal complaint.
In the video that led to his conviction, Schneider said, “people like me have suffered real f—ing crimes from f—ing judges, doctors, lawyers, police. They all should be killed.”
“I think it’s time,” Schneider continued. “I’ve waited long enough. I’m going to get some guns. I know where I can get a lot of f—ing guns and I am going to take care of business myself. I’m tired of all you f—ing frauds. People need to f—ing die and people are going to die.”
Finally, he added, “f— all of you, especially you, Trump. You should be executed.”
Coleman said she had to balance the violence in today’s society against Schneider’s right to free speech. She said she understands that “part of being a judge does come with the territory of having violence perpetrated.”
The veteran judge said she’s been “called almost every kind of name in the book.” She brought up a 2013 incident in which a preacher warned that “the wrath of God almighty shall soon visit her home,” as well as a terror suspect who once claimed the Illuminati played a role in his case.
She also pointed to the 2005 murder of U.S. District Judge Joan Lefkow’s mother and husband by a man Lefkow had ruled against in a civil rights lawsuit — a reminder that she couldn’t simply dismiss Schneider’s tirade as harmless.
In fact, the judge said Schneider “showed a lot of anger.” Court personnel have avoided using their full names with him for fear of what he might do.
So, she said, she was “not going to take a chance on releasing” him too soon.
