FBI: Tampa dentist arrested after over 100 online threats

A Tampa dentist accused of sending online threats to several people, including a politician, was arrested in Pinellas County on Tuesday.

Federal investigators say Richard Kantwill sent hundreds of online messages containing threats of physical harm or murder despite FBI agents telling him to stop. Kantwill, 60, faces three counts related to interstate transmission of threats of physical harm.

In a motion for a detention hearing, prosecutors urged a federal judge to hold Kantwill without bail until the start of his trial, saying he poses a danger to the community.

The court documents also contain several threats from Kantwill. Redacted text messages and emails contain obvious profanities, including racist and homophobic slurs.

In a text message, Kantwill made death threats against a person he called a “fake pastor.”

“Because you are an anti-Christian piece of shit, we will kill you. First torture, then death,” says Kantwill’s text.

According to court documents, the victim installed surveillance cameras worth nearly $4,500 “out of genuine fear of Kantwill.”

In a private message Kantwill sent to another person via Instagram, he read, “Can’t wait to shoot your ghetto ass on the street,” followed by a racist slur.

In September 2019, he wrote to a victim: “God bless the great President Trump and his family. Screw you and your family. Hire additional security… you’re going to need it.”

The following month, the FBI questioned Kantwill and asked him to stop sending messages.

“Despite the FBI’s warning, Kantwill spent the next ten months sending threats to over 40 victims via social media and email,” the motion states.

According to an ongoing FBI investigation, Kantwill threatened a politician on Facebook in February, whose name was not mentioned in court documents.

“Be careful, liberals like you are being raped in the alleys,” the message reads. “You are our number one target, you degenerate swear words.”

Kantwill also bragged about his gun collection in Facebook messages, stating that he had a large collection that he would “NEVER give up,” records show. Investigators said he tried to purchase “automatic and highly illegal” firearms from another Facebook user.

The dentist wrote that he “enjoyed the violence of his military service” and told some on Facebook that he “loves creating widows and orphans.”

In 2007, Kantwill broke the terms of an agreement to voluntarily retire from the practice of medicine after relapsing into alcoholism as a result of his addiction, according to Florida Department of Health disciplinary records.

During his relapse, he stopped attending required group sessions and performing dental services. Kantwill received a reprimand from the dental board and a $3,000 fine.

Kantwill’s treatment philosophy states: “Patients expect to be treated with kindness, compassion and personalized care, and that’s what you can expect every time you visit our practice,” says his review page on Healthgrades.com.

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According to records, his license is valid until February 2026.

Kantwill was booked into a Pinellas County jail Tuesday night and is being held without bail. No attorney had been listed for Kantwill as of Thursday afternoon. Efforts to reach those who know him were unsuccessful.