Texas man accused of threatening to massacre Capital One executives who denied him ‘the life he deserved’
A client locked in a standoff with Capital One over a debt dispute faces five years in federal prison after he allegedly vowed to assassinate executives he believed had “ruined” his life.
In a Dec. 12 email, Houston, Texas resident and up-and-comer beef jerky manager Taylor Bullard told bank collection agencies that he had already paid the amounts and that they were wrong to pursue him, according to an FBI affidavit unsealed when he was arrested eight days later.
“Call me before I go to their location with a machete and gas,” Brad wrote, according to screenshots of emails included in the affidavit. “You have destroyed my ability to buy a home. I am 34 years old and have Over $100,000 in work, it’s time to target the people and companies that are ruining my ability to live the life I deserve. I will personally go after your executive team before I do something unforgivable and let them. Thank you, Tyler Blood, for calling me before your executive team questions their life choices.”
The affidavit says Bullard sent the note in response to Capital One’s “urging [him] Work out a payment plan to resolve his approximately $543 debt with the company.
According to the affidavit, which was obtained by the FBI, agents traced the sender’s IP address back to Brad’s home and subpoenaed his email records from Google. court watch and share with independent.
Bullard asked the court to appoint an attorney, but no one has yet been listed on the docket. The phone number Bullard provided the court in his release documents went directly to voicemail Wednesday. An emailed request for comment to Capital One was met with an out-of-office automated response that lasted until Jan. 2.
In 2017, an unnamed company angered Tyler Blood, who threatened to release anthrax at one of the events “and/or commit suicide in public,” according to Getty Images.
The affidavit also said investigators dug into Bullard’s past and found at least three instances of threats against his company that he believed had been “unjustly wronged.” Bullard allegedly sent an email to an unnamed company in 2017, saying he planned to “release anthrax and/or commit suicide in public at one of their events,” without specifying the crime.
The FBI questioned Bullard at the time, and he told agents that “he wanted attention, wanted to see the company sweat, and had no intention of harming himself or others,” according to the affidavit.
In 2022, Bullard got into a dispute with an unnamed financial institution, leaving a voicemail for customer service threatening to “go to an open… branch with an AK-47 and shoot him.” [sic]and … damaging an ATM,” the affidavit states.
That same year, Bullard claimed an online car dealer sold him a defective car and threatened Kavanagh with mass violence, according to testimony. The company’s name was changed in court documents, but several posts in which Brad relayed his promise of revenge can still be seen on social media.
“On Friday, I will drive the lemon you sold me to your front door off I10 in Houston,” Brad wrote in a letter. “Get ready for some chaotic bastards[.]”
“@Carvana you will know what you did to me whether you want it or not,” he wrote in another post. “You screwed me over and sold me a lemon[.]”
A third read: “Call @me the fuck or your Houston sales team is screwed.”[.]”
Taylor Bullard allegedly threatened Kavanagh with mass violence after online dealer sold him lemons (Getty Images)
However, a review of Bullard’s social media activity shows that he has taken a very different approach to Starlink, Elon Musk’s satellite network provider. In 2022, Brad posted a screenshot of a service request in a message on X (the social network formerly known as Twitter and also owned by Musk) with the subject line “Zero data speeds” and politely Request an update.
“Hello!! Happy Sunday, can anyone give me a more accurate estimate or help me upgrade my order?” the source said. “I’ve been waiting almost two years to install a row of site antennas and add single coverage, but I’m paralyzed [sic] I myself have been waiting for the Starlink promise for so long. Can someone give me an estimate?
In a follow-up message, Brad quoted Musk’s brother and a senior executive of Starlink, writing: “Please help me through the appropriate channels. I am not afraid to approach Kimbal to solve this mess and give you some grass.” Jerky and steak. Thanks, Taylor.”
Corporate America has been on high alert after UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was fatally shot on Dec. 4 outside a hotel in midtown Manhattan. After a multi-state manhunt, 26-year-old Luigi Mangione was arrested for Thompson’s murder and now faces state and federal charges. When Mangione was arrested, he was armed with a gun similar to the one used to kill Thompson, as well as a brief manifesto.
The U.S. Marshals Service arrested Bullard on December 20 in Houston. Bullard will be tried in Virginia, where Capital One is headquartered.
