Man arrested at Trump National Golf Club visited grounds twice ahead of president's visit: DOJ
A man taken into custody at the Trump National Golf Club in Los Angeles County over the weekend visited the grounds twice while a security assessment was underway ahead of President Donald Trump's visit to the site, according to a Department of Justice complaint, which said the suspect took photos and videos of the security-planning activities and claimed to work for the State Department.
The suspect -- 38-year-old Jeanine John Taele of Downey, California -- allegedly had ammunition in his pocket and a loaded pistol in his pickup truck, authorities said.
Following his arrest on Sunday, authorities found more firearms, including an illegally modified AR-platform rifle, and "multiple notebooks containing concerning statements" at the suspect's residence, a federal criminal complaint alleges.
The "troubling behavior" occurred days before Trump visited the Rancho Palos Verdes property for a Republican National Committee dinner, the FBI said.
According to the complaint, Taele visited the course on Friday while a security assessment was being conducted ahead of Trump's Tuesday visit. Federal agents saw a "suspicious individual" later identified as Taele "walking throughout the golf course at the Trump Golf Club, wearing an earpiece, and taking photographs and videos of the federal agents' security-planning activities, among other things," the complaint stated.
On Sunday, Taele returned to the golf club and allegedly told federal agents that he was employed by the State Department and was "at the location for a security detail," and that he had a loaded firearm in his car in the parking lot, according to the complaint.
Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department deputies responded and, after learning through law enforcement databases that Taele was wanted for robbery in El Segundo, detained him and conducted a pat-down search, according to the complaint.
"During this pat-down search, LASD deputies found a 16-round magazine containing hollow point ammunition in the pocket of Taele's pants," the complaint stated.
A loaded 9mm pistol with a loaded magazine containing hollow-point ammunition, binoculars and a badge that read "security protection agent" were also found in his vehicle, according to the complaint.
Deputies arrested Taele for carrying a concealed firearm and possession of armor-piercing/prohibited ammunition, the sheriff's department said.
Detectives executed a search warrant at Taele's residence Monday afternoon due to the "potential security implications surrounding the incident" and recovered more ammunition and firearms -- including the illegally modified AR platform rifle -- as well as "multiple notebooks containing concerning statements," body armor and two radio signal devices, the sheriff's department said. It did not elaborate on what was allegedly found in the notebooks.
Taele is charged in the federal complaint with possession of an unregistered short-barreled rifle. The felony carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in federal prison, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Central District of California.
He also faces firearms-related charges in Los Angeles Superior Court stemming from the incident, the DOJ said. He is being held on $250,000 bond and is expected to appear in state court on Aug. 26. His initial federal court appearance is unclear.
"While we are still investigating the motives of this individual, we are thankful he was apprehended before the President's visit," Bill Essayli, first assistant U.S. attorney, said in a statement. "Federal and local law enforcement stepped in early and prevented what could have been a dangerous situation from occurring."
The incident remains under investigation in coordination with the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force and the United States Secret Service, the sheriff's department said. Authorities have "identified no credible threat to our communities," it said.
Trump attended an RNC dinner at his Rancho Palos Verdes golf club Tuesday evening.
Last year, a jury found a man guilty of trying to assassinate Trump at his Florida golf course. Prosecutors said Ryan Routh hid in the bushes of the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach and pointed a military-grade SKS rifle toward Trump and a Secret Service agent in 2024. Routh was sentenced earlier this year to life plus seven years in federal prison for the attempted assassination and related firearm offenses.
ABC News' Jack Date contributed to this report.
