Federal prosecutors in California accused a man of possessing an illegal firearm after he posed as a security guard at one of President Trump’s golf courses in Los Angeles, days before the commander in chief was scheduled to visit the property.
Officials said they charged Jeanine John Taele, 38, with possession of an unregistered short-barreled rifle after federal agents noticed a “suspicious individual” walking around the Trump National Golf Club last week while wearing an earpiece and taking photos and videos of security planning activities.
Mr. Taele returned to the course Sunday, prosecutors said, and told federal agents that he was a member of the State Department and on-site as part of the course’s security detail ahead of Mr. Trump’s visit slated for Tuesday.
Authorities said the suspect told officers he had a loaded gun in his car in the golf course’s parking lot.
After he was detained, investigators said Mr. Taele was found to have a 16-round magazine with hollow-point ammunition on his person.
A loaded pistol, a pair of binoculars and a badge that read “security protection agent” were found in his car following a search as well.
At Mr. Taele’s home, investigators said they found an illegally modified AR-style rifle, body armor, high-capacity magazines, communication equipment and “multiple notebooks containing concerning statements.”
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said he was wanted in connection with a 2025 robbery in El Segundo.
First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli said the suspect’s motives are still under investigation, but Mr. Essayli and other federal officials acknowledged how strange it was for Mr. Taele to pose as a federal agent on the course.
“Mr. Taele’s troubling behavior at the president’s public golf course merely days before the president was expected to arrive raised serious red flags for law enforcement and led to the discovery of an unregistered firearm, a loaded weapon, as well as additional items of concern,” said Patrick Grandy, the assistant director in charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office. “There is no room for error, particularly in light of previous attempts on President Trump’s life.”
Mr. Taele is scheduled to appear in court Wednesday on federal firearms violations. If convicted, he could face up to 10 years behind bars.
He pleaded not guilty to state-level ammunition and firearms charges during a Tuesday court appearance in L.A. County. He remains in custody in a Los Angeles County jail and will appear in court again Aug. 26.
The president has survived several assassination attempts as a candidate and in office.
While running for a second term in 2024, Mr. Trump suffered a wound to his ear when a gunman opened fire during an outdoor rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. A rallygoer was killed in the shooting, and another was critically wounded.
Also on the campaign trail that year, the Secret Service thwarted an assassination attempt as Mr. Trump played golf on one of his courses in Florida. Ryan Routh was convicted of trying to kill the president and was sentenced to life in prison.
During the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner in April, an armed Californian was accused of trying to murder Mr. Trump by barging into the Washington Hilton and shooting where the gala was taking place. Suspect Cole Tomas Allen pleaded not guilty to an attempted-assassination charge.
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