The Calgary man charged with threatening to kill Prime Minister Mark Carney is expected to plead guilty, his lawyer says.
Jamie Dacosta, 31, was in Calgary court Thursday for the second time this week. Afterward, defence lawyer Adriano Iovinelli told reporters he and the Crown have nearly finished a deal covering the Carney charge and a separate extortion charge from an unrelated case.
“We have more or less finalized the resolution for Mr. Dacosta on what he is going to plead guilty to,” Iovinelli said.
No plea has been entered yet. Dacosta is due back in court Monday to set a date for the pleas and sentencing. Until then, he remains in custody at the Calgary Remand Centre, and the charges are unproven.
What the video allegedly said
When Dacosta was charged in September, the RCMP didn’t describe the video. Court coverage since then has.
According to reporting on the case, a man in a July video on a YouTube channel registered to Dacosta told followers he was headed to Ottawa and offered to cover gas money for anyone who wanted to “slaughter Mark Carney.” The video is also alleged to have referred to the prime minister’s family.
Court documents say the alleged offence happened between July 25 and 26. The video was dated July 25.
The RCMP’s Integrated National Security Enforcement Team learned of the posts on July 28. Dacosta was arrested with help from Calgary police and charged with uttering a threat to cause death under Section 264.1 of the Criminal Code. The charge was announced Sept. 15.
The channel held dozens of blog-style videos. YouTube has since taken the whole channel down.
“The channel was taken down for violating our community guidelines,” a YouTube Canada representative said.
The other charges may carry the bigger sentence
The Carney threat made national news. It isn’t the only charge Dacosta faces.
In separate matters with no connection to the prime minister, he is charged with extortion, criminal harassment, uttering threats to cause death, mischief over $5,000 and being disguised with intent.
The extortion, criminal harassment and threats charges stem from alleged incidents between Oct. 12, 2025, and July 28 of this year. The mischief and disguise charges relate to alleged incidents on July 10.
All of it is being handled by one special prosecutor, William Tran. Iovinelli said the deal covers the Carney charge and the extortion charge, and it’s expected that the unrelated matters will carry the heavier sentence.
Iovinelli said whatever the judge decides, the sentence will include “a period of incarceration, of course.” But the two sides don’t agree on how long.
“The Crown and defence, we’re a little bit apart as to what an appropriate sentence would be,” he said.
Uttering a death threat carries a maximum of five years in prison when prosecuted by indictment. That maximum applies to that charge alone, not the full set of charges.
Mental health will be part of sentencing
Before any sentence is handed down, Iovinelli wants reports in front of the judge.
“There are some mental-health concerns regarding Mr. Dacosta that contributed to his behaviour in relation to the posting of these videos,” he said.
Those concerns speak to his client’s “moral culpability,” Iovinelli said. But the wait for a psychiatric assessment is long, and the earliest Dacosta could be sentenced is sometime in the new year.
Dacosta’s mother, Kathie Dacosta, has said the same thing publicly.
“I’m not asking anyone to excuse what happened,” she said in an interview. “I’m asking people to understand that someone can be facing very serious charges while also being a person who may have been struggling profoundly with his mental and emotional health.”
She said she has “watched him struggle in different areas of his life.”
“His apparent inability to understand the wrongfulness and seriousness of his actions concerns me greatly,” she said.
At least one of the videos on the channel mentioned mental health struggles.
Dacosta had no criminal record in Alberta before these charges. He lived in Ontario several years ago and has a record there.
None of this has been tested in court. Whether the judge gives it any weight at sentencing is still to be decided.
An Edmonton man faces a similar charge
Dacosta’s isn’t the only Alberta case this fall involving threats against the prime minister.
On Oct. 1, the RCMP announced that Dwight Peter MacIntyre, 44, of Edmonton, had been charged with uttering a threat to kill Carney. Police say that investigation began Sept. 4 over posts on X, and MacIntyre was arrested Sept. 9 with help from Edmonton police and the Parkland RCMP detachment.
“Criminal online actions have real-world consequences, regardless of whether they are made behind a screen,” said Supt. Matt Johnson, who heads national security for the RCMP’s federal policing in the Northwest Region.
MacIntyre is due in Edmonton court on Nov. 25. The RCMP hasn’t linked the two cases, and the charge against him is unproven.
What’s next
Monday, Nov. 2: Dacosta returns to the Alberta Court of Justice in Calgary to schedule the pleas and sentencing.
Early 2027: The earliest possible sentencing, once the reports are done.
Sources
RCMP: Calgary resident charged for uttering threats against Prime Minister (Sept. 15, 2026)
RCMP: Edmonton resident arrested for uttering threats against Prime Minister (Oct. 1, 2026)
Court proceedings, Alberta Court of Justice, Calgary, Oct. 29, 2026
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