Saint Paul Man Charged After Allegedly Posting Threatening YouTube Videos Targeting Saint Paul Mayor Following Hortman Assassination
Published: June 17th, 2026
SAINT PAUL MN: A 48-year-old Saint Paul man has been charged in Ramsey County after prosecutors allege he posted YouTube videos threatening a then-Minnesota state representative who now serves as the Mayor of Saint Paul in the aftermath of the June 14, 2025, assassination of Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman.
According to a criminal complaint, Pao Her Lee, born July 11, 1976, is charged with one felony count of threats of violence and two gross misdemeanor counts of harassment. Prosecutors allege the videos referenced the killings of Minnesota political leaders, included images depicting the legislator alongside Hortman with apparent bullet wounds to the head, and called for violence against the elected official.
On July 7, 2025, the Minnesota State Patrol Capitol Security Division received information from the Minnesota House Sergeant-at-Arms regarding two YouTube videos that investigators believed contained threats directed at the then-state representative, according to the complaint.
Investigators say one of the videos featured a thumbnail showing the legislator alongside the late Speaker Hortman and a state senator who survived the June 14 attacks. According to the complaint, the image depicted the legislator and Hortman with apparent bullet holes in their foreheads.
Law enforcement traced the YouTube account to Lee through subscriber information obtained from Google and YouTube, including a recovery phone number and Social Security number that investigators say matched the defendant. Authorities determined the videos were created and published on June 14, 2025—the same day Hortman was killed.
A Hmong-speaking investigator reviewed one of the videos and, according to the complaint, found repeated references to the shootings of Minnesota political leaders, statements questioning whether the legislator and her husband would be killed, discussion about frightening her at her home, accusations involving the Hmong community, and a statement asserting that the legislator, Hortman, and the injured senator "will be killed" while referencing the Second Amendment.
According to the complaint, the videos also accused the legislator of harming members of the Hmong community, supporting immigration enforcement against Hmong residents, and backing policies the narrator opposed.
Lee initially denied any knowledge of the videos when interviewed by investigators in July 2025, according to the complaint. During a second interview in December 2025, he allegedly apologized for making the legislator feel threatened, denied intending to harm her, and said the videos were intended as humor because he worked as a blogger and recent attacks on Minnesota politicians were in the news. He also told investigators he removed the videos and made them private after being contacted by law enforcement.
The alleged victim was serving in the Minnesota House of Representatives at the time of the alleged offense and has since become the Mayor of Saint Paul.
Although the charges were filed in Ramsey County District Court, the case is being prosecuted by the Hennepin County Attorney's Office as a special prosecutor because the alleged victim is an elected public official.
Lee is charged with one felony count of threats of violence and two gross misdemeanor counts of harassment.
The allegations contained in the criminal complaint are accusations only. Lee is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.