Federal officials have released the booking photo of a 38-year-old man accused of carrying an illegal rifle and body armor while allegedly surveying President Donald Trump’s Los Angeles-area golf course in the days before Trump was due to visit.
Jeanine John Taele was arrested Saturday at Trump National Golf Club Los Angeles in Rancho Palos Verdes and has been charged by the Justice Department with possession of an unregistered short-barreled rifle.
The federal felony count carries a minimum prison term of 10 years if he is found guilty.
According to the FBI’s Los Angeles field office, Taele’s actions at the course just days ahead of Trump’s expected arrival raised serious concerns and ultimately led agents to uncover an unregistered firearm, a loaded weapon and other items authorities described as troubling.
Court documents say federal agents assigned to security surveillance before Trump’s scheduled Tuesday visit first noticed Taele on July 31, when he was allegedly seen walking around the golf course wearing an earpiece while taking photos and video of security preparations.
Authorities said Taele came back to the property on Saturday, prompting golf club staff to notify federal officials. He then allegedly walked up to federal agents and falsely claimed he worked for the State Department as part of a security detail.
Investigators have not yet determined what may have motivated Taele, but officials said the swift coordination between federal and local law enforcement helped prevent what could have become a dangerous incident.
“A potential tragedy was averted due to the exceptional whole-of-government approach in providing the very best public safety response to all citizens in this great nation that we are proud to serve,” ATF Special Agent Kenneth R. Cooper said.
Jeanine John Taele, 38, was charged by the Justice Department with with possessing an unregistered short-barreled rifle
When investigators searched Taele’s home Sunday, they uncovered an AR-style rifle that had been unlawfully altered
Federal agents conducting security surveillance before Trump’s Tuesday visit first spotted Taele on July 31, allegedly walking Trump’s LA course with an earpiece while photographing and filming their preparations
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The case is similar to the September 2024 assassination attempt against Trump when Ryan Routh was caught staking out Trump’s West Palm Beach golf course with a rifle
After his arrest, Taele admitted a loaded firearm was inside his pickup truck parked at Trump’s club.
Deputies then found a 16-round magazine of hollow-point bullets, which expand on impact to inflict greater damage, in his pocket.
He was also wanted in El Segundo on an outstanding robbery warrant.
Taele’s truck was equipped with binoculars, and a fake badge labeled ‘security protection agent.’
‘There is no room for error, particularly in light of previous attempts on President Trump’s life,’ said Patrick Grandy, assistant director of the FBI’s Los Angeles field office.
When investigators searched Taele’s home Sunday, they uncovered an AR-style rifle that had been unlawfully altered and was missing from the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record.
Agents also hauled away more guns, ammunition, high-capacity magazines, body armor, an earpiece, a pair of radio signal devices and notebooks filled with troubling writings.
Taele will make his first federal court appearance later this week after he is transferred into federal custody.
The case is being investigated by the FBI, US Secret Service, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
The case is similar to the September 2024 assassination attempt against Trump when Ryan Routh was caught staking out Trump’s West Palm Beach golf course with a rifle as the then-candidate played a round nearby.
That attempt came just two months after Trump survived a shooting at a Butler, Pennsylvania, rally that bloodied his ear and killed a spectator.
Just this April, a gunman allegedly stormed the White House Correspondents’ Dinner in Washington, DC, armed with a shotgun and knives in an alleged bid to kill Trump.
