Va. man arrested for making 4,359 online threats against Kamala Harris, Joe Biden, Chris Wray, and more
A man from Winchester, Virginia, who made online threats against the U.S. Vice President and thousands of posts and replies in online forums targeting the President of the United States, FBI Director, and other public officials, was arrested yesterday on federal charges.
Frank Lucio Carillo, 66, made his initial court appearance on August 5 in U.S. District Court in Roanoke, Virginia after being arrested at his home in Winchester. Carillo is charged with one count of making threats against the Vice President of the United States.
“Open political discourse is a cornerstone of our American experience. We can disagree. We can argue and we can debate. However, when those disagreements cross the line to threats of violence, law enforcement must step in,” United States Attorney Christopher R. Kavanaugh of the Western District of Virginia said today.
“The FBI’s mission is to protect the American people. We take all threats of violence seriously, and we will investigate them to the fullest and hold those responsible accountable,” said Special Agent in Charge Stanley M. Meador of the FBI’s Richmond Division.
Background: On July 27, 2024, the Maricopa County, Arizona, Recorder’s Office notified the FBI’s Phoenix Office of potential threats being made on the social media platform GETTR. The threats were being made by a user with the name “joemadarats1.”
FBI searched the “joemadarats1” user account and discovered approximately 4,359 posts and replies made by the user targeting various public officials including, but not limited to, President Joseph Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, and FBI Director Christopher Wray.
Vice President Harris was mentioned 19 times by “joemadarats1,” including numerous threats of violence.
In a February 2024 post, “joemadarats1” said he had his “AR-15 LOCKED AND LOADED.”
Authorities used GETTR subscriber information and other investigative methods to match the “joemadarats1” username with Carillo and to locate his physical location in Winchester, Virginia. On August 2, 2024, authorities at the FBI Richmond executed a search warrant at Carillo’s home and seized a 9 mm pistol, an AR-15 rifle and thousands of rounds of ammunition.
The FBI in both Richmond, Virginia and Phoenix, Arizona, and the United States Secret Service are investigating the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sean Welsh is prosecuting the case. For more on the story, see the video accompanying this article.
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(Source: U.S. Attorney’s Office, Western District of Virginia)
(Cover photo of Frank Carillo mugshot, Image credit: Twitter)
Posted by Richard Webster, Ace News Today
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