Frank Lucio Carillo, 66, made several threats against Vice President Kamala Harris (pictured), President Joe Biden, FBI Director Christopher Wray, several Arizona officials and others on the right-wing social media platform Gettr, the Department of Justice said in a news release Monday. File Pool Photo by Kenny Holston/UPI | License Photo
Aug. 5 (UPI) — A Virginia man remains in jail after making viciously violent threats against Vice President Kamala Harris and other top government officials.
The man allegedly threatened to set fire to the house where the vice president lives and to “personally pluck out her eyes,” according to a charging document.
Frank Lucio Carillo, 66, made several threats against Harris, President Joe Biden, FBI Director Christopher Wray, several Arizona officials and others on the right-wing social media platform Gettr, the Department of Justice said in a news release Monday.
Carillo was charged with one count of making threats against the vice president of the United States.
DOJ said the offense occurred “on or about July 27,” six days after Biden said he would not run for re-election and announced support for Harris.
The FBI found 4,359 posts from Carillo “targeting various public officials,” including Harris 19 times, according to the charging document.
Investigators said that Carillo in one post said Harris doesn’t “have a snowballs chance in hell which is exactly where you’re going and soon,” adding “I will cut your eyes out of your … head” and “will make sure you suffer a slow agonizing death[.]”
On July 27, the Maricopa County Recorder’s Office in Arizona 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 agents arrived at Carillo’s house in Winchester, about 75 miles northwest of Washington, on Friday. Carillo asked if they were there “about the online stuff,” and said, “I posted it,” according to court documents, which also stated that Carrillo, appearing to talk to himself, also said, “I guess I’m gonna need a lawyer.”
Agents said they retrieved two firearms from his home: a pistol he bought in 2023 and a rifle purchased this year.
“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 in the statement Monday.
Also threatened, according to prosecutors, was Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer, who rejected claims that the 2020 election was stolen from Donald Trump as baseless “lies and conspiracy theories” and who filed a defamation lawsuit against Kari Lake for insisting that the 2022 gubernatorial election was marred by fraud.
A hearing has been scheduled for Thursday in the Western District of Virginia to determine whether Carillo will remain behind bars before trial.
