New Port Richey Woman Sentenced for Making Threats to Broward Schools

Wifredo A. Ferrer, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida; John V. Gillies, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Miami Field Office; Dan Giustino, Chief, Pembroke Pines Police Department; and Al Lamberti, Broward County Sheriff, announced today that the defendant ELLISA MARTINEZ was sentenced in United States District Court on an indictment charging her with interstate communication of a threat to injure the person of another, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 875(c).

Ellisa Martinez was sentenced to a term of two years in prison, followed by a term of three years of supervised release. A restitution hearing is scheduled for September 27, 2011.

The charges arose from an incident which occurred on November 10, 2010, when the defendant sent an e-mail to Joyce Kaufman at Radio Station WFTL in Pompano Florida, which stated:

“Dear Ms. Kaufman I was so thrilled to see you speak in person for congressman elect west. i was especially exited to hear you encourage us to exercise our second amendment gun rights. i felt your plan to organize people with guns in the hills of Kentucky and else where was a great idea. i know that you know one election is not enough to take our country back from the illegal aliens, jews, muslims, and illuminati who are running the show. i am so glad you support people who think like me. i’m planning something big around a government building here in Broward County, maybe a post office, maybe even a school, I’m going to walk in and teach all the government hacks working there what the 2nd amendment is all about. Can i count on your help? you and those people you know in Kentucky? we’ll end this year of 2010 in a blaze of glory for sure. thanks for your support mrs kaufman. what does sarah say, don’t retreat, reload! let’s make headlines girl!”

This e-mail was followed by a telephone call to the WFPL radio station from a female caller who stated that her husband Bill Johnson was going to go to a school in Pembroke Pines and carry out a shooting. The female referenced Joyce Kaufman’s rally and that the female was worried that her husband, who was bipolar, was going to shoot up a school. The female requested that the radio station broadcast a plea to her husband not to carry out the shooting.

Further investigation revealed that the e-mail and the telephone call were linked to Ellisa Martinez in New Port Richey, Florida.

As a result of the threats transmitted by Ellisa Martinez all Broward County Florida schools, both public and private, were placed in lockdown for several hours.

Mr. Ferrer commended the investigative efforts of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Pembroke Pines Police Department and the Broward Sheriff’s Office.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michael Walleisa.

A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida at http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/fls. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at http://www.flsd.uscourts.gov or on http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov.