NEW YORK — A Queens supporter of the Proud Boys pleaded guilty Monday to posting on social media threats against U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock.
Eduard Florea, 41, made the threat one day before the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. He’d hoped to join supporters of President Donald Trump in Washington, D.C., for the rally that evolved into a deadly riot, but could not find anyone to give him a ride, his wife told prosecutors.
“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 January 6, 2021 to thwart the results of the Presidential election,” said Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District Jacquelyn Kasulis.
Unable to join the insurrection in person, Florea amplified rioters’ rhetoric from home, posting threatening messages over a dayslong period in January to the far-right social media app Parler. Florea was not a full member of the Proud Boys, but was in the process of becoming a member when he was arrested, according to a law enforcement source.
“Dead men can’t pass s--- laws,” Florea posted about Warnock, a Georgia Democrat who won a Jan. 5 runoff election, on Jan. 6. Florea added that he was “armed and ready to deploy,” to the nation’s capitol.
“It’s time to unleash some violence,” he wrote.
