Las Vegas man once accused in Trump assassination plot files new lawsuit

A Las Vegas man who was arrested outside a California rally for Donald Trump in 2024, prompting a sheriff to declare that his deputies had likely thwarted an assassination attempt, has filed a new federal lawsuit in Nevada.

Vem Miller Yenovkian, who goes by Vem Miller, filed suit in federal court in Las Vegas on Oct. 13 against his ex-wife and 19 other defendants, citing a long list of allegations, including defamation, civil conspiracy and “infliction of emotional distress.”

Much of the 171-page complaint centers around grievances Miller has against his ex-wife, a British citizen named Sonia Elijah. He said he hasn’t been able to see his two children since 2018, six years before his arrest outside a Coachella Valley rally for Trump.

Attempts to reach Elijah via social media were unsuccessful.

Miller was arrested by the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department on Oct. 12, 2024, after authorities said they found guns in his vehicle outside a rally for Trump. Miller, a Republican who ran for Nevada’s Assembly in 2022, has always insisted he was there to support Trump, not cause him harm.

Jesse Law, who at the time was the Clark County Republican Party chairman, said in the days after Miller’s arrest that Miller was a “sincere and committed Trump supporter.”

Miller’s attorney is Las Vegas lawyer Timothy Treffinger, who ran as the Republican candidate for Clark County district attorney in 2022. Treffinger was defeated by the Democratic incumbent Steve Wolfson.

Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco was also sued by Miller in federal court in California. Bianco, a Republican who is a 2026 candidate for California governor, was not listed as a defendant in the Nevada suit filed Oct. 13, though he is mentioned multiple times.

“I probably did have deputies that prevented the third assassination attempt,” Bianco said at a news conference a day after Miller’s arrest.

When contacted for this story, Riverside County Sheriff’s Department spokesperson Lt. Deirdre Vickers said in an email that Bianco declined to comment.

Miller said he still considers Las Vegas his home, though he doesn’t live here full time. He said he has received blowback since the arrest — ultimately he was cited on a lesser gun charge — and that it has been difficult for him to find work.

During a phone interview, Miller said he attended an event for Trump at Mar-a-Lago, the president’s Palm Beach, Florida, residence, on Feb. 18 with a press credential. He said the visit proved that he was never a threat to the president.

“President Trump passed right by me at one point,” Miller said. “It was kind of a traumatic moment, to be honest, because he was passing in front of me and I decided to move back about 15 steps because I didn’t want to be close to him and have something become misinterpreted.”

Miller shared video he said he filmed of the encounter at Mar-a-Lago with the Las Vegas Review-Journal. In it, Trump can be seen walking a few feet away from Miller and a small group of people.

Miller also said he took cellphone video of a number of celebrities that day, including boxer Mike Tyson and English comedian and actor Russell Brand.

Contact Bryan Horwath at bhorwath@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BryanHorwath on X.