Crime & Safety
Venezuelan Man Arrested for Threatening Newtown Residents After School Shooting
30-year-old arrested for harassing phone calls in which he pretended to be Adam Lanza.
A man who allegedly made numerous harassing and threatening phone calls for Newtown residents following the shooting at Sandy Hook School was arrested in Miami on Saturday, the U.S. Department of Justice has said in a press release.
In one of the calls Hoffman allegedly stated: “This is Adam Lanza. I’m gonna [expletive] kill you. You’re dead. You’re dead. You hear me? You’re dead.” In another phone call, HOFFMAN allegedly stated: “This is Adam Lanza. I’m gonna kill you. You’re dead. With my machine gun. You’re dead [expletive].” according to the Department of Justice.
Wilfrido A. Cardenas Hoffman, 30, of El Hatillo, Venezuela, was passing through Miami airport on the way to Mexico from Venezuala when he was arrested. He was charged on May 20th 2013 in a criminal complaint for the phone calls.
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“Threatening such vulnerable people is reprehensible and inhuman criminal conduct,” said U.S. Attorney Deirdre M. Daly. Her office worked with the FBI to arrest Hoffman.
The charges carry a maximum term of imprisonment of five years and a fine of up to $250,000. Hoffman is scheduled to return to court on Thursday at 10 a.m. for a detention hearing.
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