A man from Virginia was taken into custody last week, facing charges from the FBI for allegedly issuing online threats against Vice President Kamala Harris and several other public figures.
According to FBI special agent Melissa Macaron, the investigation began on July 27 when reports surfaced about the man, identified as Carillo, making death threats toward an election official in Phoenix, Arizona. One of his posts included a particularly violent remark directing harm at the official, whose name has been omitted from documents.
FBI agents in Phoenix requested access to Carillo’s GETTR account and uncovered over 4,000 posts where he targeted various public officials, including Harris, President Joe Biden, and FBI Director Christopher Wray.
The complaint revealed that Carillo mentioned Harris in 19 different posts. On July 27 alone, he made alarming statements like, “Kamala Harris needs to be put on fire alive. I will do it personally…,” describing a horrific intention to cause her suffering.
Just six days before that post, Harris had publicly declared her presidential campaign amid heightened tensions following an assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump on July 13.
In the wake of the Trump incident, law enforcement has apprehended two individuals for threatening public officials, including one who allegedly threatened Biden.
Additionally, Carillo’s posts included violent threats towards various communities and public figures, including Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
Law enforcement tracked Carillo down using information from GETTR, leading to a search warrant being executed at his home where a rifle and a handgun were discovered. He reportedly acknowledged his online posts during the search.
Carillo now faces a felony charge with a potential five-year prison sentence. U.S. Attorney Christopher Kavanaugh stated, “Open political discourse is vital in our democracy, but threats of violence cannot be tolerated.”