FT. PIERCE, FL (Boca Post) (Copyright © 2026) — A federal judge in the Southern District of Florida has sentenced Ryan Wesley Routh, 59, to life plus 84 months in federal prison for the attempted assassination of then-presidential candidate Donald J. Trump and related violent and firearms offenses.
U.S. District Judge Aileen M. Cannon imposed the sentence after a federal jury convicted Routh on all five counts charged in the indictment, according to information released in the case. The prosecution followed a two-week trial held in Fort Pierce, Florida, where jurors returned guilty verdicts in September 2025.
The case centers on an incident at Trump International Golf Club in Palm Beach County, where investigators said then-U.S. Secret Service Special Agent Robert Fercano was patrolling one hole ahead of Trump. Evidence presented at trial showed the agent observed Routh pointing what appeared to be an AK 47-style rifle from a sniper’s hide concealed along a fence line bordering the course.
Investigators said Fercano, fearing for his life and for Trump’s life, fired at Routh. Authorities said Routh fled.
After the encounter, law enforcement recovered what they described as a Norinco SKS rifle equipped with a scope, a loaded magazine containing 19 rounds of ammunition and one round in the chamber, steel armor plates, and a camera affixed to the fence and aimed toward the sixth green, where Trump was about to play golf.
A civilian witness reported seeing Routh run across a roadway and enter a black Nissan Xterra, according to the trial evidence. Based on that information, officers from the Martin County Sheriff’s Office apprehended Routh while he was traveling northbound on Interstate 95, with assistance from the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office.
A search of the vehicle uncovered multiple mobile phones and a list of international flights along with directions to Miami International Airport, investigators said. Prosecutors also presented cell phone records showing that between Aug. 18 and Sept. 15, 2024, Routh’s phone accessed cell towers near Trump International Golf Club and Trump’s residence at Mar-a-Lago on multiple occasions.
Trial testimony also addressed a box investigators said Routh dropped off at a witness’s residence in April 2024 after making another trip to the area near the golf course. Inside was a handwritten letter addressed “Dear World,” in which Routh wrote, among other things, “This was an assassination attempt on Donald Trump but I am so sorry I failed you.”
Federal officials framed the sentence as a final step in a case that involved multiple agencies. Investigators said the FBI’s Miami Field Office led the investigation with assistance from the U.S. Secret Service and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, with support from the Palm Beach Sheriff’s Office and the Martin County Sheriff’s Office.
In public statements released with the sentencing, officials credited the response on the ground and the broader investigation that followed, and said the outcome was intended to send a message about consequences for political violence.
Source: Federal case information provided in a sentencing announcement identifying the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida, the conviction in Fort Pierce, and investigative details involving the U.S. Secret Service, FBI Miami, ATF, Palm Beach Sheriff’s Office, and Martin County Sheriff’s Office.
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