PORTLAND, Ore. — A Portland man will spend additional time behind bars for violating his probation after he made numerous online threats, including saying he would assassinate President Joe Biden. Jesse David Bennett appeared before a judge in Multnomah County Court on Friday, and admitted to the parole violations, which had previously led to convictions in federal court.
The federal convictions stemmed from multiple threats he made between 2022 and 2023, which included claims he planned to assassinate Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. Threats and harassment also extended to people that he knew locally.
"Mr. Bennett targeted a lot of people: some people that he had met in person at a gym where he was working, some people that he knew from his neighborhood; he also targeted public figures and made a lot of online threats," said Shawn Overstreet, a prosecutor for the state of Oregon.
One of Bennett’s targets was Heather Zieser, who became acquainted with him when she hired him as a handyman. Zieser testified in court over why she believed Bennett should remain behind bars.
"Jesse and I befriended each other years ago. During that time, he manipulated me by gaining my trust, and ultimately betraying me in a way I never thought possible," Zieser said. "Since April of 2022, I have lived in fear of my life, the lives of my friends, family members, co-workers and partner."
Zieser said Bennett threatened to kill her and her loved ones while using burner phones to pose as an anonymous love interest.
"I know what's going to happen as soon as he gets out of jail. I will have to sell my house, leave my job of 17 years that I love, with patients that I have built lasting relationships with, and I’ll have to leave a community that I love," Zieser said.
Bennett was previously convicted by the state of Oregon on arson and bias crime charges for throwing Molotov cocktails into the yards of two neighbors in Northeast Portland.
The judge ruled Friday that Bennett will spend an additional two years in prison with the possibility of early release after serving at least one year of that sentence. He will have to live in a halfway house when he is released and will wear a monitoring device.