On Friday, BuzzFeed News reported that a Proud Boys supporter who issued violent threats against elected officials including Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-GA) has been sentenced to 33 months in prison.
"Eduard Florea used the social media app Parler to issue the threats against elected officials, trying to gather others to join him before the Jan. 6 insurrection, when a mob of supporters of then-president Donald Trump stormed the Capitol," reported Salvador Hernandez.
The report cited a social media post dated January 5th in which Florea said "'Warnock is going to have a hard time casting votes for communist policies when he's swinging with the f***ing fish... It's time to unleash some violence."
Florea ultimately did not travel to the Capitol himself on January 6, but pleaded guilty in August to transmitting threats. He was also convicted of illegally possessing ammunition, having been banned from doing so after a 2013 felony conviction.
"At a court hearing following his arrest, a prosecutor said Florea had told the FBI he'd applied to join the white nationalist group Proud Boys, the New York Times reported," Hernandez wrote. "He posted online using an account with the handle LoneWolfWar to issue the threatening messages."
The Proud Boys, a self-described "Western Chauvinist" group known for their violent street brawls, have been heavily implicated in the Capitol attack, with members involved at the incident. They have been subpoenaed for information by the House committee investigating the attack, along with the far-right paramilitary group the Oath Keepers.
