A 38-year-old man was arrested in Florida, accused of sending two threatening emails against Miami-Dade Sheriff Rosie Cordero-Stutz and her family, as well as warning that he would place a bomb in a school.
In one of the messages, he stated that he would ask the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, to kill the official.
The suspect, identified as Julio Javier Landaeta, a resident of Kissimmee, is facing two second-degree felony charges.
A judge set a bail of 30,000 dollars and ordered that, if released, he must remain under house arrest with electronic monitoring via GPS.
Two emails with threats and a photograph of his license
According to the arrest warrant cited by Local 10, the first message arrived at Cordero-Stutz's official email on November 2 at 3:21 PM, with the subject: "Screw you, I'm going to bomb a school."
The message did not identify any educational institution nor did it specify the location or the time when the attack was allegedly supposed to occur. Its content included screenshots related to a credit monitoring service, diplomatic immunity, and the World Health Organization.
At 4:54 that same afternoon, the account sent a second email with threats against the sheriff and her family.
The subject said: “I have your location tracked, it’s me, bitch, I killed your family, leave the country, I will tell Putin to kill you.”
The researchers found in that second message photographs of the actor Shaun Weiss, known for his role in the movie The Mighty Ducks, and an image of Landaeta's Florida driver's license.
The photograph of the document apparently matched the profile picture of an Instagram account that the detectives attributed to the suspect. The profile contained numerous photographs of Cordero-Stutz and other members of law enforcement agencies.
Images also appeared in which Landaeta allegedly wore items with police insignia, a tactical vest, and a belt equipped with objects that appeared to include a firearm, a stun gun, a flashlight, and a radio.
How they located the suspect in Kissimmee
The detectives from the Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office requested information from Google to identify the person responsible for the messages.
The account records and internet connections allowed for linking the emails to a cell phone registered under Landaeta's name and a long-term stay hotel in Kissimmee.
Agents from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement arrived at the establishment and located the suspect in a room.
According to court documents, Landaeta refused to speak with the investigators.
The arrest warrant was issued on November 4.
The records from the Osceola County Sheriff's Office cited by Local 10 indicate that his arrest occurred that same day. He was later transferred to the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center in Miami-Dade to face the charges.
During the court hearing held on Thursday, November 12, a judge set a total bail of $30,000, with $15,000 assigned to each charge.
In addition to house arrest with GPS monitoring, the judge prohibited Landaeta from contacting Cordero-Stutz and from approaching within 500 feet (approximately 152 meters) of their residence or workplace.
The defense entered a plea of not guilty and requested a jury trial.
The charges are related to written or electronic threats outlined in section 836.10 of the Florida Statutes, which includes threats of death, bodily harm, and certain acts of violence or terrorism.
Second-degree felonies can carry penalties of up to 15 years in prison per charge.
A background related to police badges
The case has also drawn attention to a prior legal issue involving Landaeta. According to records from Telemundo 51, he appeared in court in 2018 for an incident involving police equipment and insignia found in his vehicle.
On that occasion, the authorities accused him of possessing a police radio, emergency lights, and insignia from the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Miami Gardens Police Department.
The investigators suspected that he might try to pose as a law enforcement officer.
During the current investigation, the detectives also examined the photographs posted on the Instagram account attributed to Landaeta, in which he was seen wearing police clothing and insignia.
Regarding the threats, Jorge Colina, former chief of the Miami Police, stated to Telemundo 51: "When a person tells you: I am dangerous and I want to harm you, you need to pay attention."
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