Judge Suspends Criminal Charges for Man Arrested at Trump Golf Course with Gun and Ammo
Los Angeles County Judge John Lonergan Jr. suspended criminal charges against Jeanine John Taele on Wednesday, after he brought a gun and ammunition to one of President Donald Trump’s golf courses.
Taele, 38, is a U.S. Marine veteran and was arrested back in July at Trump National Golf Course Los Angeles. He was seen wearing an earpiece and taking photos of the complex where Trump was scheduled to attend a Republican National Committee dinner, NBC News reported.
In addition to a 9 mm loaded pistol and binoculars, Taele had a badge with the words “security protection agent” in his pickup truck, according to the U.S. attorney’s office in Los Angeles.
He was charged with several felonies, including possession of a short-barreled rifle or shotgun and receiving a large-capacity magazine. Taele was also hit with a misdemeanor charge of carrying a concealed firearm in a vehicle.
He appeared in court on Wednesday, just weeks after his Aug. 5 arrest, donning a vest meant to prevent suicide attempts. He is now undergoing a psychiatric evaluation.
Judge Lonergan sent Taele to a mental health court in Hollywood after he made questionable pretrial statements, specifically a false claim about having worked at the State Department for 14 years.
Lonergan cited the troubling discovery of over 200 pages written by Taele that were found after his arrest, which included schedules for First Lady Melania Trump and members of the president’s Secret Service detail.
The papers reportedly showed Taele was planning to survive “off the grid,” but the judge didn’t provide specific details about his possible motive or political persuasions.
“This case itself is alarming in this day and age with the violence that is creeping into our everyday lives, especially with our partisanship in the political environment,” Lonergan said.
He also declined to set bail.
Taele was previously arrested at an AT&T store after he accused an employee of spying on him using Meta Glasses. He later stole the glasses, wound up talking to himself in the parking lot, and was charged with second-degree robbery, according to NBC News.
Public defender A.J. Bayne, who is representing Taele, said “he’s a veteran, he served our country, and I don’t know enough right now, but he has a family that loves him, that has huge support for him.”
Bayne added that “people assume too much” about Taele’s motives at the golf course that day.
Back in 2024, Ryan Routh, 59, attempted to assassinate Trump while he was playing golf in the leadup to the presidential election. He was convicted in 2025 and then sentenced to life in prison earlier this year.
“According to evidence presented at trial, then-U.S. Secret Service Special Agent Robert Fercano was patrolling one hole ahead of President Trump at the Trump International Golf Club when he observed Routh pointing what appeared to be an AK 47-style rifle at him from a sniper’s hide concealed in a fence line bordering the golf course,” the Justice Department news release read.
“Fearing for his life and the life of President Trump, Special Agent Fercano fired at Routh, who fled the scene.”
A Fox News report from 2024 said that Routh’s legal team considered using an insanity defense and even had mental health experts examine him, but ultimately chose to go in a different direction.
Routh attempted to stab himself in the neck with a pen after a jury found him guilty. His attorney filed an appeal that is still pending.
Taele remains innocent until proven guilty and will remain in custody until a Sept. 9 hearing at the Hollywood Mental Health Court.
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