JEFFERSON COUNTY — A Jefferson County man who threatened to kill employees of YouTube, Google and Twitter, as well as Democrats and others, was caught with child porn and a child-size sex doll when the FBI raided his house, charging documents say.
Matthew Bryan Thilges, 56, pleaded not guilty Tuesday in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to charges of attempted production of child porn and receipt of child porn. His lawyer did not return a message seeking comment.
Thilges began making the threats against tech employees in YouTube comments in July, FBI Special Agent Kyle Storm wrote in an affidavit accompanying the charges. Storm did not describe Thilges' motivation for doing so.
He said he wanted to "stick a sword right through" YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki and said Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey "must die," Storm wrote. Even the email addresses Thilges used contained criticism of the tech giants, and included the phrases "jackisaterrorist" and "guugleisfascistpig," Storm wrote.
By October, Thilges was also targeting Democrats, government employees and police, saying that if an officer "shows up at your door WITHOUT a warrant and and attempts to KIDNAP you or any member of your family, you are not only entitled to shoot it in the face, you are OBLIGATED to do so as an American Citizen.”
“No more talk. Just shoot to kill. Anywhere and everywhere. I am a staunch vehement conservative libertarian and I have absolutely had enough of government thugs and government bureaucrats," he wrote Oct. 4.
It wasn't clear if some of his comments were sent by email, posted as comments online or both.
On Oct. 6, he wrote, "Democrat children are easier to shoot than democrat 'parents.'" A day later, “If government employees murdered your business, you have the right to murder the government employees. Call me, I will help you do that,” Storm's affidavit said.
He also made threatening comments about Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, who has been targeted by militia members for her attempts to slow the spread of the coronavirus.
The FBI in late October obtained a search warrant for Thilges' mobile home in the 4400 block of Shawn Drive near House Springs "due to the escalating nature of the threats," prosecutors said in court documents. Agents found eight assault rifles, a pistol, two loaded 100-round drum magazines and a tactical vest with three loaded pistol magazines and four loaded rifle magazines.
They also found a nearly 4 foot tall “child-like sex doll” standing inside a bedroom closet, and photographs of a partially clothed girl on Thilges' phone, Storm wrote.
A search of Thilges' computer revealed thousands of images of child porn that had been deleted, in addition to one that had not been, Storm wrote.
Thilges was charged by complaint in federal court Oct. 23 and indicted on those charges Nov. 5. A judge has ordered him held in jail until trial, in part because of the threats, Thilges' lack of stable employment and the lengthy prison term he faces if convicted.
Source: JeffCo man caught with child porn threatened to kill tech employees, others, FBI says
