Proud Boys fanatic pleads guilty to threatening Sen. Raphael Warnock on social media
- A Queens, NY man pled guilty to threatening Georgia Sen. Raphael Warnock on social media.
- The man also made threats on Jan. 6 urging people at the Capitol riot to "unleash some violence."
- An FBI search found the man illegally possessed over 1,000 rounds of ammunition in his Queens home.
A man from Queens, New York pled guilty on Monday to threatening Democratic Senator Raphael Warnock of Georgia on Parler. He is facing up to 15 years in prison.
Eduard Florea, 41, made multiple threats to the Senator as well as toward other Washington officials as a part of the Jan. 6 insurrection at the US Capitol, according to the Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York.
Florea admitted to being a fan of the far-right extremist group known as the Proud Boys, according to the Washington Post.
On Jan. 5, Florea posted on Parler, "Warnock is going to have a hard time casting votes for communist policies when he's swinging (sic) with the f---ing fish."
"Dead men can't pass s--- laws," Florea posted a few hours later, referring to Warnock.
He also posted about traveling to D.C. after the insurrection on Jan. 6 had begun. While ultimately Florea did not travel, he posted on Parler that New York was "target rich."
"I am ready…. we need to regroup outside of DC and attack from all sides… talking to some other guys….I will keep watching for the signal," Florea posted at one point. "It's time to unleash some violence."
The acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, Jacquelyn M. Kasulis, announced the guilty plea on Monday.
"With today's guilty plea, Florea admits to threatening the life of a successful candidate for the U.S. Senate and to urging others to take up arms to unleash violence at the Capitol on January 6, 2021 to thwart the results of the Presidential election," Kasulis said.
Florea faces up to 15 years in prison for one count of transmitting threats to injure and another count of possessing ammunition after being convicted of a felony, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office of the Eastern District of New York.
Florea was arrested after an FBI search of his Queens home on Jan. 12 found him in illegal possession of over 1,000 rounds of ammunition. Shotgun rounds, combat knives, hatchets, and swords were also found, according to the Times.
After a 2014 conviction of illegal possession of an AR-15 rifle and semiautomatic shotgun, Florea is not allowed to possess ammunition, according to the New York Times.
So far, at least 613 people have been charged in relation to the Capitol riot. Among them, 27 rioters have pleaded guilty for their role in the insurrection, and the FBI is still seeking the public's help in identifying more people who took part in the siege.