A Winchester resident has been taken into custody on federal charges for allegedly making numerous threatening comments in online forums aimed at public officials. Frank Lucio Carillo, 66, was brought before the U.S. District Court in Roanoke following his arrest at his Winchester home. He faces a federal charge for allegedly threatening the Vice President of the United States.

“Healthy political dialogue is fundamental to our nation’s values. We are free to disagree, argue, and debate. But when disagreements escalate to threats of violence, law enforcement must intervene,” stated Christopher R. Kavanaugh, the United States Attorney for the Western District of Virginia.

Court documents reveal that on July 27, 2024, the Maricopa County Recorder’s Office in Arizona alerted the FBI’s Phoenix office about possible threats made on the social media platform GETTR by a user named “joemadarats1.”

Upon investigation, the FBI found that the user “joemadarats1” had made about 4,359 posts and replies targeting a range of public figures, including President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, and FBI Director Christopher Wray. The account mentioned Vice President Harris 19 times, often including violent threats, as noted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

In one post from February 2024, “joemadarats1” declared that he had his “AR-15 LOCKED AND LOADED.”

Authorities used subscriber details from GETTR and other investigative methods to connect the “joemadarats1” account to Carillo, pinpointing his location in Winchester. On August 2, 2024, the FBI’s Richmond office executed a search warrant at Carillo’s residence, where they confiscated a 9 mm pistol, an AR-15 rifle, and thousands of rounds of ammunition, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

“The FBI’s duty is to protect the American public. We take all threats of violence seriously and will investigate them thoroughly to ensure those responsible are held accountable,” remarked Stanley M. Meador, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Richmond Division.