Parler user made threatening post about Raphael Warnock of Georgia, feds say
A man accused of threatening a newly elected U.S. senator from Georgia also made posts about traveling with an armed group to Washington, D.C., prosecutors said.
Eduard Florea, 40, is charged with illegal possession of ammunition by a felon after federal officials said more than 1,000 firearm rounds were found at his home in Queens, New York.
Before his arrest on Tuesday, prosecutors said Florea used the website Parler to make a threat against Democrat Raphael Warnock, who was declared the winner of a recent U.S. Senate runoff in Georgia. In response to a post about the senator-elect, Florea is accused of writing “dead men can’t pass s*** laws.”
Florea’s attorney, Mia Eisner-Grynberg, “dismissed the online posts as ‘blather,’” The Associated Press reported.
Parler is a social media platform that soared in popularity, particularly among conservatives, after the presidential election in November. After the siege on the U.S. Capitol last week, Apple and Google said the app failed to monitor threatening or inciting posts — and stopped allowing users to download it.
This week, Parler went offline.
The bans came after Jan. 6, when President Donald Trump in a speech told supporters to walk to the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. and repeated unfounded claims of voter fraud.
“All of us here today do not want to see our election victory stolen by bold and radical left Democrats, which is what they are doing, and stolen by the fake news media,” Trump said at the rally. “That is what they have done and what they are doing. We will never give up. We will never concede. It doesn’t happen. You don’t concede when there’s theft involved.”
A group of rioters stormed into the building, and five people died during the chaotic day.
At the time, lawmakers were meeting inside the Capitol to certify Joe Biden’s presidential Electoral College victory. Trump until recently refused to accept defeat in the 2020 election.
While prosecutors said Florea didn’t travel to the nation’s capital on the day of the siege, he’s accused of making Parler posts that week. He threatened to travel to Washington, D.C., “as part of a group armed with firearms that was ready to engage in violence,” according to a complaint from an FBI agent.
Prosecutors said Florea wrote: “The time for peace and civility is over . . . . / 3 cars full of armed patriots are enroute from NY / 3 cars of armed patriots heading into DC from NY / Guns cleaned loaded. . . got a bunch of guys all armed and ready to deploy . . . we are just waiting for the word.”
Florea made his posts under the Parler name “LoneWolfWar,” officials said.
“He is not charged with any action whatsoever in connection with the despicable acts that happened at the Capitol,” said his attorney Eisner-Grynberg, according to The Associated Press. “Mr. Florea does not condone that behavior.”
Eisner-Grynberg didn’t immediately respond to McClatchy News’ request for comment on Thursday morning.
Florea is accused of having ammunition after a previous felony conviction. He was convicted in 2014 of criminal weapon possession in New York, according to officials.
“For those of you out there with similar intentions, heed this warning — knock it off, or expect to see us at your door,” William F. Sweeney Jr., FBI assistant director-in-charge, said in a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York.
