NOTE: This timeline is new and under construction, and is therefore not up-to-date. Please check back for updates.
Here’s a date-by-date timeline of important events and developments surrounding Luke Wenke’s legal cases, along with links to additional information.
USA v. Luke Wenke | Timeline of Events
Before Luke Wenke’s First Cyberstalking Arrest:
Mid-2020
Luke Wenke drives from Olean, NY to Minneapolis to meet his romantic obsession, Ryan (also sometimes referred to as Benjamin), who made news headlines during the George Floyd protests for his involvement in the so-called Boogaloo movement.
Wenke travels back to Western New York by mid-July. At some point between then and Ryan’s upcoming arrest (see next), Wenke begins talking with FBI agents about the goings-on in Minneapolis and the group of people he had involved himself with.
September 3rd, 2020
Ryan and another man, Michael Solomon, are arrested in Minneapolis on terrorism charges for providing material support to an undercover federal agent posing as a member of Hamas.
December 9th, 2020
Luke Wenke is arrested during a traffic stop in Eklhart, Indiana on misdemeanor marijuana possession and drug paraphernalia possession charges.
December 11th, 2020
Luke Wenke fails to appear for a virtual arraignment hearing for his Indiana case. The hearing is rescheduled for February 8th, 2021.
December 20th, 2020
Ryan pleads guilty to one count of conspiracy to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization. He’ll be sentenced at a later date and remains in custody in Minnesota for the time being.
February 8th, 2021
For a second time, Luke Wenke fails to appear for an initial virtual court hearing for misdemeanor drug charges out of Elkhart, Indiana. An arrest warrant is issued with bond set at $1,500.
April 23rd, 2021
Luke Wenke attends a virtual court hearing for his drug-related charges out of Elkhart, Indiana. A public defender enters a not guilty plea on is behalf.
June 30th, 2021
Luke Wenke enters a pretrial diversion agreement in Elkhart, Indiana for misdemeanor drug charges stemming from is 12/09/2020 arrest. The judge orders him to undergo a substance abuse evaluation, complete any recommended treatment, and perform 20 hours of community service.
Luke Wenke’s First Federal Cyberstalking Case
January 27th, 2022
Luke Wenke is arrested by federal agents in Olean, New York on suspicion of cyberstalking and making interstate threats. He remains in custody at the Niagara County Jail as he awaits his arraignment hearing.
January 29th, 2022
Luke Wenke attends his first hearing for his federal cyberstalking case. A “not guilty” plea is entered on his behalf, and the judge denies bail.
January 31st, 2022
Luke Wenke attends a detention hearing. The judge orders him to remain held without bond.
March 16th, 2022
Luke Wenke is indicted by a federal grand jury on cyberstalking and interstate threats charges.
March 17th, 2022
Luke Wenke is arraigned on charges of cyberstalking and making interstate threats. He pleads not guilty and remains held without bond.
March 21st, 2022
A status conference is held. The judge sets a trial date for 05/02/2022 in accordance with the expressed wishes of all parties for the proceedings to commence ASAP.
April 18th, 2022
Luke Wenke pleads guilty to cyberstalking in federal court. In exchange for his guilty plea, prosecutors dismiss an interstate threats charge and agree to recommend an 18-month prison sentence.
June 13th, 2022
Prosecutors in Elkhart, Indiana file to reinstate misdemeanor drug charges against Luke Wenke after he fails to satisfy the court’s pretrial diversion requirements.
August 18th, 2022
Luke Wenke is sentenced to 18 months in federal prison for cyberstalking. He serves his time at FCI Allenwood in Pennsylvania.
2023
March 31st, 2023
Luke Wenke is released from FCI Allenwood in Pennsylvania after completing his prison sentence for cyberstalking. He’ll remain under federal supervision, aka probation, for three years.
May 17th, 2023
Just six weeks after his release from federal prison, Luke Wenke is arrested on a federal probation violation charge for allegedly emailing his cyberstalking victim’s (the Minnesota attorney’s) business partner. Prosecutors argue that the correspondence constitutes indirect contact toward the victim.
May 18th, 2023
Luke Wenke is arraigned on a violation of supervised release charge. The prosecution argues for Wenke to be detained, but the judge releases him with new conditions and the case is continued.
June 20th, 2023
A status conference is held. The prosecution urges the court to detain Luke Wenke based on information recently received from the FBI. Wenke is remanded to the Chautauqua County Jail, where he remains until his probation violation case is squared away.
While in custody, Luke Wenke allegedly mails multiple letters to Ryan’s family despite their clearly stated wishes for no contact and a no-contact order of protection.
June 21st, 2023
A VOSR (violation of supervised release) hearing is held. The U.S. Government argues that Luke Wenke knowingly and deliberately violated probation by emailing his cyberstalking victim’s business partner; the defense maintains that Luke Wenke’s intent to contact his victim can’t be proven, or that he is even responsible for the email in the first place.
June 23rd, 2023
Luke Wenke is found guilty of violating probation and remains in custody while awaiting sentencing.
August 3rd, 2023
A status conference is held. The prosecution urges the court to send Luke Wenke back to federal prison for a year, while the defense argues for Wenke’s release under the condition of receiving mental health treatment.
August 10th, 2023
Luke Wenke is sentenced to time served for violating probation, resulting in his release from the Chautauqua County Jail. His probation is extended, and the court imposes additional rules and restrictions that he must abide by in order to remain compliant with probation, including thrice-weekly outpatient mental health treatment.
During this time period, Luke Wenke writes the first of his many infamous letters to the court.
August 22nd, 2023
Luke Wenke appeals his probation violation conviction via the U.S. Second Circuit Court of Appeals in New York City.
August 30th, 2023
The judge issues an order modifying Luke Wenke’s conditions of supervision. Under the new rules, Wenke is banned from contacting several victims from at least three separate households (myself included).
Not long after the new rules are imposed, however, Luke Wenke mails letters to multiple victims, myself included, while continuing his seemingly eternal campaign of hatred and terror against his victims on social media.
October 4th, 2023
Luke Wenke is arrested on suspicion of multiple probation violation charges for allegedly contacting several of his victims in violation of state-issued orders of protection and federally-imposed contact bans. He pleads not guilty and is remanded to the Cattaraugus County Jail in Little Valley, New York without bail.
November 7th, 2023
Luke Wenke pleads guilty to one out of five probation violation charges (count #5) for contacting the family of his romantic obsession, Ryan, in violation of a no-contact order of protection. He’s remanded pending sentencing while the parties involved in his case work to arrange a mental evaluation. A sentencing hearing is scheduled for November 21st.
November 21st, 2023
A status conference is held, rather than Luke Wenke’s scheduled sentencing hearing. Parties discuss complications and difficulties arranging a court-ordered mental evaluation. Wenke remains in custody and a follow-up hearing is scheduled for December 5th.
December 8th, 2023
Luke Wenke is released to his father’s home on an ankle monitor while awaiting sentencing for his probation violation conviction. The judge imposes various rules and restrictions, including no contact with victims, and victims’ addresses are entered into the GPS monitoring system as banned areas that Wenke is not allowed to enter. Wenke is also reportedly cautioned to avoid problematic behavior on social media.
December 14th, 2023
A status conference is held. The judge revokes Luke Wenke’s ankle monitor and remands him back into presentencing detention due to complications arranging his court-mandated mental health treatment and ongoing concerns over his social media conduct. Wenke is booked into custody at the Orleans County Jail in Albion, New York.
2024
January 2nd, 2024
A status conference is held. The parties discuss the cost of Luke Wenke’s $5,000 court-ordered mental evaluation.
January 16th, 2024
A status conference is held. The parties discuss the cost of Luke Wenke’s $5,000 court-ordered mental evaluation.
April 16th, 2024
A status conference is held to discuss the findings of a mental evaluation performed by forensic psychologist Dr. Corey Leidenfrost. The judge orders a hearing under 18 U.S. Code § 4244 and gives the defense permission to arrange for a second evaluation by an expert of their choosing.
July 30th, 2024
A status conference is held. The judge grants the defense’s motion for a competency examination under 18 U.S. Code § 4241
August 16th, 2024
Luke Wenke is transferred from the Orleans County Jail to the Northeast Ohio Correctional Center (NEOCC) in Youngstown, Ohio.
Early September 2024
Luke Wenke is transferred from the Northeast Ohio Correctional Center (NEOCC) to the Federal Transfer Center in Oklahoma City, courtesy of the Justice Prisoner and Alien Transportation System (colloquially known as “Con Air”).
Later that month, Wenke is transferred from FTC Oklahoma City to the Metropolitan Correctional Center (MCC) in Chicago for a competency evaluation.
November 19th, 2024
Luke Wenke has returned to New York State after undergoing a 45-day evaluation/observation period at MCC Chicago. A status conference is held. The judge declares Wenke competent to proceed with his case and orders him to undergo another mental evaluation by Dr. Leidenfrost.
2025
January 31st, 2025
An evidentiary hearing under 18 U.S.C.§ 4244 is scheduled for February 12th (and later postponed to February 18th. The proceeding is meant to determine whether Luke Wenke is in need of treatment at a “suitable facility” for a “mental disease or defect.”
February 18th, 2025
An evidentiary hearing is held to determine whether Luke Wenke is in need of treatment at a “suitable facility” for a “mental disease or defect.” Acting as an expert witness for the prosecution, Dr. Corey Leidenfrost testifies regarding the findings of two evaluations he performed on Luke Wenke. Leidenfrost indicates that Wenke is delusional recommends involuntary inpatient treatment, and the hearing is continued.
April 10th, 2025
Luke Wenke’s evidentiary hearing under 18 U.S.C. § 4244 continues. The defense summons testimony from forensic psychologists Dr. Robin Watkins and Dr. Kaitlyn Nelson, who performed Wenke’s competency evaluation at MCC Chicago while working for the U.S. Bureau of Prisons.
Watkins and Nelson refute Dr. Leidenfrost’s claim that Wenke is delusional and share their opinion that Wenke suffers from a personality disorder and is unlikely to benefit from inpatient treatment.
April 23rd, 2025
The judge determines that Luke Wenke is in need of treatment at a “suitable facility” for a suspected “mental disease or defect” and orders the defendant to be involuntarily committed to FMC Devens, a federal medical prison in Massachusetts.
May 1st, 2025
Luke Wenke’s public defender files an appeal on Wenke’s behalf with the U.S. Second Circuit Court of Appeals challenging the district court’s decision to involuntarily commit the defendant to mental health treatment.