FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Monday, April 27, 2026

Contact: Tony Mangan, Communications Director, 605-773-6878

Attorney General Jackley Announces SD Supreme Court

Affirms Terrorism Threat Conviction

PIERRE, S.D. – South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley announces that the South Dakota Supreme Court has affirmed the conviction and sentence of Lucian Celestine for attempted threat of felony terrorism. He had been convicted in Pennington County after making threats to President Donald Trump and taking steps toward carrying out those threats.

“Threats against the President of the United States and public officials are taken seriously,” said Attorney General Jackley. “We will continue to prosecute individuals who seek to harm or intimidate public officials and their families.”

According to court records, Celestine first contacted the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in September 2019 claiming he was hearing voices instructing him to kill President Trump. In June 2020, Celestine attempted to purchase a sniper-style rifle through an online firearms marketplace and requested a scope capable of shooting up to 600 yards along with ammunition. The seller, a Brookings police officer acting as a private citizen, became concerned about Celestine’s behavior and reported the interaction to the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI).

Law enforcement later contacted Celestine as authorities prepared for President Trump’s visit to Mount Rushmore National Memorial for the 2020 Independence Day fireworks celebration. During the encounter, Celestine acknowledged he had contacted the FBI and admitted he had recently obtained a rifle. Officers located a Browning X-Bolt .300 Winchester Magnum rifle, ammunition, and targets in the trunk of his vehicle.

After being taken to the Rapid City Public Safety Building and advised of his rights, Celestine told investigators that voices in his head instructed him to kill the President. He described a plan to go to Mount Rushmore and position himself above the monument. He was subsequently arrested and indicted for threat of felony terrorism.

Celestine entered a guilty plea in November 2024 to SDCL 22-8-13 which is Attempted Threat of Felony Terrorism. In March 2025, the Pennington County Circuit Court sentenced him to two and a half years in the South Dakota State Penitentiary with credit for time served.

Celestine later appealed his conviction and sentence, but the South Dakota Supreme Court affirmed the circuit court’s judgment.

The Attorney General’s Office represented the state at the appeal.

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