A California judge has dismissed misdemeanor gun charges against a Las Vegas man arrested in 2024 after authorities said he tried to enter a Donald Trump rally with two loaded guns and a high-capacity magazine.
Dismissal of the charges follows 51-year-old Vem Miller’s completion of a county program that allows first-time, low-level offenders to have their criminal charges dropped and arrest records sealed after completing a set of requirements.
As part of Miller’s enrollment in the Riverside Misdemeanor Diversion Program, he was ordered by a Riverside County Superior Court judge to complete an eight-hour gun safety class, take an online, four-hour life skills course and complete 40 hours of community service.
Molly Smith, spokesperson for the Riverside County district attorney’s office, said Miller completed the diversion program and had the charges dropped on July 31. His records were also sealed.
Angela Friedrichs, attorney for Miller, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
“Sad that a misrepresentation ruined this man’s life,” she told the Press Enterprise, which was first to report the story. “Glad our courts recognized the matter was worthy of a dismissal.”
Miller’s October 2024 arrest in Coachella drew national attention after Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco said his deputies stopped the man from attempting to assassinate Trump without offering evidence of an assassination plot.
Miller, a Trump supporter, denied the allegations and filed a lawsuit against Bianco for libel, slander and defamation among other allegations.
The Riverside County Sheriff’s Department did not respond to a request for comment.
At the time, Bianco told reporters that Miller had driven up in a black SUV to a checkpoint close to the rally entrance where sheriff’s deputies questioned him.
He said it was there that deputies noticed the man’s SUV was in disarray and displayed a fake license plate, prompting deputies to investigate further.
A search of the vehicle turned up fake passports and driver licenses with different names, loaded guns and ammunition, which led to his arrest.
Miller told The Times then that he brought the two weapons to the rally for self-protection, saying he had received death threats in response to work he did for his media company, the America Happens Network.
Miller said that day he had approached a deputy ahead of the checkpoint and told that deputy he had two firearms in his vehicle. He also offered to hand the firearms over for safekeeping but instead was detained and arrested, according to his lawsuit.
The Secret Service and the FBI later determined that Trump was in no danger. No federal charges were filed against Miller.
Miller said Bianco’s claims were part of a calculated media campaign that included text messages, media interviews and news conferences.
“The motive became clear on Feb. 17, 2025, when Bianco announced his candidacy for Governor of California,” his lawsuit read.
Miller said in the lawsuit that the accusations against him caused harm as he faced death threats and was denied contact with his children, and could no longer work in his profession.
