FARGO, N.D. — A newly unsealed federal criminal complaint accuses a North Dakota man of making threats of violence against a federal official in the wake of deadly political violence in Minnesota.
Charles Dalzell. (Courtesy of Grand Forks County Corrections / Forum News Service)
Charles Dalzell, 46, of St. Thomas, N.D., was arrested Monday after FBI agents reviewed an email Dalzell appeared to have sent last Sunday night to “J.P.” of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of North Dakota. In the email, Dalzell referenced the the previous day’s assassination of former Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman.
While the complaint does not identify the recipient of Dalzell’s emails beyond the initials, “J.P.” are the initials of Acting U.S. Attorney for North Dakota Jennifer Puhl.
“Now I’m going to be honest with you I don’t want this situation to end up like Minnesota over the weekend, do you,” Dalzell’s email read, according to the complaint. “I’m trying to get all of you to actually follow the law, not ignore me, not lie to me … that is what you all have done and this makes me wonder if these bad situations are really what you want or do you hope that I flip out and end up dead by a police officer?”
Dalzell allegedly claimed in the email that he was owed money from a court victory and police were trying to silence him so public officials could engage in corruption. He also claimed federal elected officials were ignoring his pleas for help.
“This had god dam better get fixed Monday morning which is tomorrow because I want to avoid anymore problems and don’t want North Dakota to end up like Minnesota … I’ll be honest I’m extremely pissed off and before you people push me into one of those situations with no way out except death or prison the law and the rules and the constitution better get followed,” Dalzell’s email read, according to the complaint.
According to investigators, in a February 2024 email to the U.S. Attorney’s Office describing a legal challenge he was facing over some property, Dalzell said, “I’m on the very very edge of flipping the f— out.”
“There’s a word that starts with a V and ends with a T and kinda sounds like violin and that is where this is heading if I don’t get some help,” that email said. The 2024 email, the complaint noted, was signed “Chuck Miller,” but when FBI agents interviewed Dalzell about the email, he acknowledged he sent it and said, “what goes around comes around.”
Dalzell also told agents, who warned him the 2024 email was borderline threatening, that “if he wanted to go shoot up a place he would not advertise it.”
Sunday’s email from Dalzell to “J.P.” also mentions multiple public officials and a judge by name, and that their “provoking” him was “not going to be tolerated,” the complaint said.
According to the FBI’s affidavit to the court, Dalzell sent another email to “J.P.” around noon Monday, saying it was “shocking” that North Dakota elected officials “ignore your job like it doesn’t matter,” allowing a “corrupt” judge and “(expletive deleted) governor” to violate his rights. The governor was not identified.
The affidavit said there is probable cause to believe Dalzell violated federal laws against transmitting interstate threats to injure others, and threatened to “assault, kidnap, or murder a United States Official.”
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