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Winchester resident Frank Lucio Carilllo was arrested on federal charges and made his initial court appearance on Aug. 5 in District Court in Roanoke after being arrested last week following a probe into his actions online.
“Open political discourse is a cornerstone of our American experience," US Attorney Christopher Kavanaugh stated. "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."
According to court documents, last month, 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."
During an FBI search of "joemadarats1," investigators say that they found 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.
Harris, the presumptive Democratic candidate for president, in particular was mentioned 19 times by the user, including multiple threats of violence.
In one post earlier this year, “joemadarats1” said he had his “AR-15 LOCKED AND LOADED.”
Authorities investigating the incident were able to use the GETTR subscriber information to match the user to Carillo, who was arrested in Winchester on Friday, Aug. 2, when FBI officials executed a search warrant at his home and recovered a 9mm pistol, AR-15 rifle, and thousands of rounds of ammunition.
Carillo was charged in the federal complaint with one count of making threats against the Vice President of the United States
"The FBI's mission is to protect the American people," Special Agent in Charge Stanley Meador of the FBI’s Richmond Division, added. "We take all threats of violence seriously, and we will investigate them to the fullest and hold those responsible accountable."
Following his arrest, FBI agents in Virginia, Phoenix, and the US Secret Service continue to investigate the case..
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