Virginia man Frank Lucio Carillo is facing federal charges after the FBI arrested him for alleged online threats against VP Kamala Harris.
The post Protect Kamala Harris: Feds Arrest Man With ‘AR-15 LOCKED AND LOADED’ In Alleged Violent Threats To VP appeared first on NewsOne.
Frank Lucio Carillo. | Source: Roanoke City Jail / Roanoke City Jail
A Virginia man has been arrested for making a series of violent online threats against Vice President Kamala Harris as it became apparent she would become the Democratic presidential nominee.
The FBI arrested Frank Lucio Carillo, 66, on Monday at his home in the city of Winchester. He now faces federal criminal charges of one count of making repeated threats against the Vice President of the United States, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Western District of Virginia announced.
In addition to VP Harris, Carillo also levied violent threats made online against the FBI director and other public officials.
More from the official U.S. Department of Justice press release:
According to court documents, 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.
“Open political discourse is a cornerstone of our American experience. We can disagree. We can argue and we can debate,” United States Attorney Christopher R. Kavanaugh of the Western District of Virginia, said in a statement. “However, when those disagreements cross the line to threats of violence, law enforcement must step in.”
Carillo’s arrest came on the same day that Harris officially became the Democratic presidential nominee.
There were no reports about Carillo’s political affiliation.
However, what with the significant uptick in attacks on Harris, particularly along racial and gender lines that are being led by conservatives, Republicans and supporters of Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump have shown no signs of slowing and could potentially encourage more such violent threats against the vice president.
That is especially true as Harris more polls give Harris the edge over Trump, who less than a month ago survived an assassination attempt in Western Pennsylvania.
This is America.
SEE ALSO:
Racist Birther Attacks On VP Kamala Harris Draw Attention To Facts About Presidential Eligibility
The Kamala Effect: More Black Voters Plan To Vote Compared To When Biden Was Nominee, New Poll Finds
The post Protect Kamala Harris: Feds Arrest Man With ‘AR-15 LOCKED AND LOADED’ In Alleged Violent Threats To VP appeared first on NewsOne.
