A Broward arrest affidavit says investigators linked Facebook posts to alleged threats against two people following a political dispute.
FORT LAUDERDALE, FL — Former congressional candidate Elijah Manley faces two counts of making written or electronic threats to kill or cause bodily injury after Broward County investigators said Facebook posts associated with his account threatened two people during a political dispute.
Manley, 27, was arrested in Broward County after an investigation by the Broward Sheriff’s Office Threat Management Unit, according to an arrest affidavit and jail records reported by South Florida news organizations. Investigators said they were notified Aug. 21 about posts made the previous evening from a Facebook account using the name “elijahdmanley.” Manley has not been convicted, and the charges remain allegations that must be proven in court.
The affidavit says investigators received screenshots of messages posted between about 8 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. on Aug. 20. Authorities said the posts arose from a disagreement involving support for Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Angie Nixon. Investigators alleged that some of the messages contained threats of serious physical harm toward people who did not support Nixon and that two people later expressed concern for their safety.
According to the affidavit, one message warned that the writer would make life difficult for people who did not support Nixon. Another contained an explicit threat of decapitation directed at Democrats who would not support the party’s Senate nominee. A separate message said the writer would “burn” another person’s “castle to the ground,” language that the two people involved told investigators they understood as referring to their homes. Authorities attributed the messages to the Facebook account associated with Manley.
Investigators said one of the people told deputies the comments placed her in fear. The affidavit also says the people knew Manley through political activities and that the Facebook account linked to him had previously been used at one person’s home during fundraising activities. Investigators said the posts had been removed by the time authorities documented the case, but screenshots were provided as part of the investigation.
Before his arrest, Manley acknowledged authoring a violent social media post in comments to WLRN and said he expected to face charges. He described the dispute as a First Amendment issue. CBS Miami later reported that Manley told investigators his comments were not intended as genuine threats but were made during a political disagreement. That assertion is part of his response to the allegations and does not resolve whether the statements meet the legal standard for a criminal threat.
Manley ran in the 2026 Democratic primary for Florida’s 20th Congressional District and finished third. His arrest came about two months after that election. The criminal investigation, however, centers on statements investigators say were made about support for Nixon in the U.S. Senate race rather than Manley’s own congressional campaign.
Bond was set at a total of $40,000, according to court and news reports. Conditions imposed by a judge include no contact with the alleged victims, no possession of weapons or ammunition and a prohibition on posting to social media. Local 10 reported that records showed Manley was released from jail Saturday morning after posting $4,000 toward the bond.
The Broward State Attorney’s Office said it will not handle the prosecution because of a conflict of interest involving the people listed as victims. The office said those individuals had participated in charitable drives organized by the State Attorney’s Office over the years. Prosecutors asked Gov. Ron DeSantis’ office to assign the matter to another state attorney’s office.
The case remains pending. Publicly reported records did not establish which outside prosecutor will ultimately handle the case, and no finding of guilt has been made against Manley.
Author note: Last updated October 18, 2026.