A member of the far-right Proud Boys movement has pleaded guilty to threatening to kill a U.S. Senator online the day Democrats regained control of both branches of Congress.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office reports Eduard Florea, a 41-year-old resident of Queens, New York, pleaded guilty Monday to one count of transmitting threats to injure and one count of possessing ammunition. When sentenced, Florea faces up to 15 years in prison.
According to court documents, Florea posted threatening statements online about killing elected officials, including now-United States Senator Raphael Warnock, Georgia’s first Black senator, and committing other acts of violence in Washington, D.C. in connection with the certification of the results of the 2020 Presidential Election.
On Jan. 5, the night before the U.S. Capitol riots, Florea posted on a social media platform popular with the far-right in which he fantasized about killing Warnock, Georgia’s first Black senator.
“Warnok is going to have a hard time casting votes for communist policies when he’s swinging with the fucking fish, he wrote. “Dead man can’t pass shit laws.”
“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 Jan. 6, 2021 to thwart the results of the Presidential election.” Acting U.S. Attorney Kasulis wrote in a memo. “This Office is deeply committed to protecting our democratic institutions and to using all available tools to preserve the public safety, uphold the rule of law and support the peaceful transfer of power.”
