A federal grand jury in Charlottesville has indicted a Winchester, Virginia, man on 14 counts related to making online threats to kill, kidnap, or injure Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Barack Obama.
According to court documents, 66-year-old Frank Lucio Carillo faces five counts of making threats against Vice President Harris, five counts of interstate communications with a threat to kidnap or injure her, two counts of making threats against former President Obama, and two counts of interstate communications with a threat to kidnap or injure the former president.
Carillo allegedly used the social media platform GETTR, under the username “joemadarats1,” to post thousands of threatening messages.
The FBI began investigating after receiving a tip regarding a threat made against a Maricopa County, Arizona, official on July 27, 2024. Further investigation revealed approximately 4,359 posts by Carillo targeting various public figures, including Harris and Obama.
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In a February 2024 post, Carillo reportedly wrote that he had his “AR-15 LOCKED AND LOADED.” Authorities traced the “joemadarats1” account to Carillo’s residence in Winchester, Virginia. On August 2, 2024, FBI agents executed a search warrant at his home, seizing a 9 mm pistol, an AR-15 rifle, and thousands of rounds of ammunition.
The case is being investigated by the FBI’s Richmond and Phoenix field offices, along with the United States Secret Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sean Welsh is prosecuting the case.
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