Judge sentences former Jan. 6 defendant for hoax threat near Obama's home

Judge sentences former Jan. 6 defendant for hoax threat near Obama's home

Carrie Johnson

October 30, 2025 / 2:12 pm

A federal judge has sentenced a man to time served for making a hoax threat near the D.C. residence of former President Barack Obama two years ago, prompting a massive law enforcement response that included a bomb squad and sniffer dogs.

Taylor Taranto, of Pasco, Wash., spent 22 months in the troubled D.C. jail facility while he waited for trial on allegations that he suggested his van was rigged with explosives. Authorities never found any such devices, though they did recover firearms and a machete.

U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols noted that Taranto had no criminal history — partly because the Justice Department had previously moved to dismiss several charges rel