(Ken Silva, Headline USA) Oran Alexander Routh, the son of alleged would-be Trump assassin Ryan Routh, is still trying to get out of prison after pleading guilty to one count of possessing child pornography in January.
Oran, who faces up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, had been on house arrest leading up to his January guilty plea. After a judge remanded him to custody, Routh filed an appeal with the Fourth Circuit Appeals Court—arguing that his case’s unusual circumstances merit his release until sentencing on May 14.
Routh’s Tuesday appeal reveals how the FBI came to search his home in the first place.
UPDATE: Alleged would-be Trump assassin's son filed an appeal yesterday to get out of jail until his sentencing in May.
The appeal argues that Ryan Routh's notoriety has placed his son in danger. The most interesting part is it reveals how the FBI came to search Oran's property… https://t.co/0DmSjWEahs pic.twitter.com/FQDCRycrUW— Ken Silva (@JD_Cashless) March 5, 2025
According to his appeal, the FBI searched one of Ryan’s phones, finding text messages about a letter he mailed to his son shortly before his Sept. 15 alleged assassination attempt.
“This discovery led the FBI to contact [Oran] Routh and ultimately obtain and execute search warrants … The FBI seized cellular devices located at Routh’s residence and on his person. It was during the subsequent search of these devices that the materials that are the subject of this prosecution were found,” Oran’s appeal states.
Oran argued that the notoriety of his father has made him a marked man in prison. Being convicted of possessing child porn hasn’t helped his cause, either, he added.
“While awaiting sentencing in a local jail, Routh faces the very real possibility of physical harm based on the alleged actions of his father and the intense publicity surrounding President Trump. In this politically charged atmosphere, Routh is at great risk of suffering serious injury or even death at the hands of other inmates who harbor strong political views about the attempted assassination of President Trump—on both sides of the coin,” the appeal states.
“Because of the enormous publicity surrounding Routh and his father, an inmate can easily discover that Routh has been charged with and pled guilty to child pornography offenses and would then spread the word to everyone at the jail. The unusual notoriety and the nature of the charges make Routh especially vulnerable to being stigmatized and at high risk for being physically attacked while in a local jail.”
The Justice Department has yet to respond to Routh’s appeal.
Law enforcement started investigating Oran for child pornography in late 2023, when the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, or NCMEC, flagged a video allegedly on his phone. NCMEC passed that tip along to the Guilford County Sheriff’s Office, which visited his mother’s home last February. Law enforcement didn’t follow up until Oran’s father allegedly tried to kill Trump.
The father faces trial for attempted assassination in September.
Ken Silva is the editor of Headline USA. Follow him at x.com/jd_cashless.
