Vem Miller files lawsuit saying Riverside sheriff falsely accused him of attempting to assassinate Trump

RIVERSIDE, Calif. - Vem Miller, the man arrested near a Trump rally in the Coachella Valley, has filed a $100 million federal civil lawsuit against Riverside County and Sheriff Chad Bianco for falsely suggesting he was trying to assassinate Donald Trump. 

What we know:

The lawsuit alleges violations of constitutional rights, defamation, and intentional infliction of emotional distress.

According to Miller's attorney, the lawsuit alleges Sheriff Bianco and the Riverside County Sheriff's Department violated Miller's constitutional rights and deliberately made false public statements identifying Miller as a "would-be Trump assassin." 

The backstory:

Miller, who is a Nevada resident and Trump supporter, was detained on October 12, 2024, after voluntarily disclosing to deputies that he had firearms in his vehicle, which was about a mile away from a Trump rally. 

The complaint alleges that rather than issuing a citation, deputies detained Miller, conducted an excessive search of his vehicle, ignored his medical distress, and performed medical procedures without his consent.

Miller was arrested on misdemeanor weapons charges.

Shortly after his arrest, Sheriff Chad Bianco held a press conference saying his deputies thwarted a potential assassination attempt against Trump. 

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"The license plate was what we in law enforcement would recognize as one that is homemade and indicative of a group of individuals that claim to be ‘sovereign citizens.' We, and assuming the deputy, assumes that he [Miller] was part of that identifying group," Bianco said during that press conference. 

Miller speaks out 

The other side:

After the complaint was filed Tuesday, Miller spoke to FOX 11 about his next steps. 

"It's a necessary step because you have a sheriff here that thought via character assassination that he could build a reputation for himself for his governor run. And this is something that should simply not occur, that somebody in a powerful position like that gets to destroy somebody's life and reputation for his own personal gain," Miller said. 

He said he's had zero contact with Bianco. His attorney said Bianco has maintained his false assertion that deputies "prevented another assassination attempt."

"This goes way beyond merely Sheriff Bianco getting some facts wrong, because they were not even close. So they weren't just wrong, they were entirely false," attorney Ethan Bearman stated. 

Miller said these false accusations have negatively impacted his life. 

"My parents are deeply traumatized by this. I've had just consistent threats, innuendos via social media, via text message, sometimes on a daily level. And I've just had to alter how I do things. Like even at the press conference today, it was just unnerving to be back in Riverside and just having to watch my back consistently all the time," Miller explained. 

Miller said he didn't realize the difference between Nevada and California gun laws and never intended to assassinate Trump. 

What's next:

FOX 11 reached out to Bianco and the sheriff's department for a statement but have yet to hear back.