Brian Dean Miller, 43, faces one count of making threats against the president, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. He is scheduled for arraignment in federal court Friday.
His public defender and his mother did not return phone messages Thursday.
According to a criminal complaint, Miller made the death threats March 21 on Craigslist under a posting titled "Obama must die." The posting said he was following through on a promise to become a terrorist if the federal health care bill passed.
"I am dedicating my life to the death of Obama and every employee of the federal government," the posting said. It ended with a call to arms: "This is war. Join me. Or don't. I don't care. I'm not laying down anymore."
He said, "Today I become a terrorist."
In a separate post the same night, Miller essentially dared others to turn him in to the Secret Service, according to the complaint. He allegedly wrote that others should "feel free to notify them if it helps you sleep better tonight. You should tell them I threatened to kill the president and destroy the U.S. government. Maybe you would like to quote the post as your evidence."
A resident of Arlington, Texas, reported the threats to the Secret Service. Agents tracked down Miller at his Dallas home, where he lives with his mother, according to the complaint. Police arrested Miller and seized his computer. They found no weapons in the residence.
Miller's mother told agents her son is "frequently depressed, prone to verbal outbursts and may be suicidal," according to the complaint. Her son initially refused to answer questions, then acknowledged he made the threats. He said everything posted on Craigslist was "fictional."
According to the complaint, when the agents asked if Miller wanted to kill the president, he told them: "Yes, I would kill him, if I were a different person. I would kill them all."
Miller was previously arrested in 1993 on a charge of telephone harassment, according to Dallas County records. He was sentenced to probation, which eventually was revoked.
