A New York man was criminally charged Monday with threatening to kill former President Donald Trump over concerns that Trump was a threat to democracy. The man also threatened the lives of a dozen Republican members of Congress.

Thomas Welnicki, 71, of Rockaway Beach, was charged with knowingly and willfully threatening to kill, kidnap and inflict bodily harm upon a former president, according to documents from the U.S. District Court in Brooklyn.

Welnicki told Capitol Police in a July 2020 phone call that he would “acquire weapons” and “take him down.”

Welnicki allegedly bragged to police how easy it would be for him to get a firearm, adding “I don’t want to hurt anyone but I will stand up to fascism.”

Trump was not identified by name in the complaint but a footnote cited the person identified as Individual 1 was President of the United States from Jan. 20, 2017, to Jan. 20, 2021.

Prosecutors say Welnicki called the Secret Service around Jan. 4, 2021, and mentioned there would be a $350,000 reward for killing Trump and 12 unnamed Republican lawmakers.

"I will do anything I can to take out (Trump) and his 12 monkeys. Oh yeah that's a threat, come and arrest me," he was quoted saying. "Tomorrow (Trump) will be in Georgia, maybe I will."

Welnicki also contacted Secret Service in a Sept. 24 incident to ask them about the agency’s protection of former presidents. He also asked how he could stage a protest at Trump’s residence on Pearl Harbor day mentioning he had weapons and ammunition.

Welnicki made two additional phone calls around Nov. 8 to the Secret Services New York Office where he compared Trump to Adolf Hitler and told them he would do everything he could to make sure Trump is dead.

In January 2020, a 52-year-old Connecticut man pleaded guilty to hoaxes that included sending a letter to Trump with a substance he claimed to be anthrax.

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