Individual Arrested For Threatening The Secretary Of Public Safety Of Puerto Rico

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico– A federal grand jury in the District of Puerto Rico returned an indictment against Ricardo González-Rodríguez, charging him for threatening to injure the Secretary of Public Safety Héctor Pesquera via Facebook, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 844(e), announced United States Attorney Rosa Emilia Rodríguez-Vélez. The FBI is in charge of the investigation.

According to the information contained in the indictment, the threat was posted on Facebook, on May 2, 2018. The post contained the following text: “Ai (sic) que matarlo ahora mismo.” Translated to the English language, the post states: “He must be killed right now.” On December 14, 2018, FBI agents arrested the defendant without incident.

“Federal authorities will continue to prosecute those who use social media to threaten, promote violence, or incite violent acts,” said Rosa Emilia Rodríguez-Vélez, U.S. Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico. 

“The FBI defends and protects the rights of all people to speak freely. But this does not include sending messages that threaten or encourage violence, which is a serious crime,” said Douglas A. Leff, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI, San Juan Division.

Assistant United States Attorney Alexander Alum is in charge of the prosecution of the case. If convicted, González-Rodríguez faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years, a term of supervised release of up to three years, and a fine of up to $250,000.

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