A Michigan man who shares both a first name and initials with the current Vice President has been sentenced to federal prison after threatening to kill President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and one of Trump’s children.
And no – despite the matching names, the two Vances aren’t connected. But the coincidence has definitely added an extra layer of chaos to an already bizarre case.
Man Used Alias ‘Diaperjdv’ to Post Violent Threats
According to the Department of Justice, 67-year-old James Donald Vance Jr. used the username “Diaperjdv” on the social platform Bluesky, where he posted a stream of violent threats aimed at top members of the U.S. government.
The DOJ says Vance made specific, targeted threats and even bragged that he didn’t care if he was shot by the Secret Service or spent the rest of his life behind bars. That attitude quickly became relevant.
He eventually pleaded guilty to two federal felonies:
- Threatening to kill or injure the President and Vice President
- Interstate threatening communications
Each charge carried a possible five-year sentence and a $250,000 fine. In the end, he was sentenced to two years in federal prison.
Credit: Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images.
Second Threat Case in Michigan Within a Month
If the case sounds intense, it's because it is – and Michigan has been seeing more of this type of political threat.
The DOJ pointed out that this is the second time in a single month someone in West Michigan has been locked up for threatening President Trump. On October 20, Richard Spring, a Comstock Park resident, was sentenced to 18 months in prison and fined $2,000 for similar threats.
It’s part of what authorities say is a worrying rise in politically motivated threats across the U.S.
“He Crossed a Line” – DOJ Responds to the Sentencing
U.S. Attorney Timothy VerHey issued a firm statement following Vance’s sentencing, making it clear that threatening political violence online isn’t "edgy," "funny," or "free speech," FOX2 reports.
“The advent of the internet gives us all an opportunity to engage in the healthy exchange of ideas that are so important to a democracy,” VerHey said.
“But some would rather use this tool to threaten and intimidate – conduct that causes fear and damages our democratic ideals.”
He added that when Vance publicly declared that he planned to kill the President and Vice President because he disagreed with them, “he crossed a line we all understand and so had to be punished.”
So… Is He Related to Vice President JD Vance?
Given the matching names, people immediately wondered if James Donald Vance Jr. was related to Vice President JD Vance, whose full name is also James Donald Vance – sort of.
But the DOJ didn’t touch the topic at all.
Here’s the rundown:
- The Vice President was born James Donald Bowman
- Later changed his name to James David Bowman
- Finally adopted his mother’s maiden name, Vance, as his surname
Credit: Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images.
So despite the identical initials, the shared first name, and the internet losing its mind over the coincidence, there’s no publicly known family link between the two men.
Still, the optics are wild.
And for now, “Diaperjdv” will be spending the next two years offline — and behind bars.