Man Charged with Threatening Newtown Residents Due in Court

A Venezuelan man who is accused of making dozens of threatening phone calls to Newtown residents shortly after the Sandy Hook Elementary school shooting is due in court Thursday.

Wilfrido Cardenas Hoffman will appear before U.S. District Judge Michael Shea for a waiver of indictment and guilty plea proceeding, said Tom Carson, spokesman for the U.S. District Attorney Connecticut Office.

Hoffman was arrested in Miami in June. He was charged with transmitting threats in interstate or foreign commerce to injure the person of another. Hoffman allegedly made dozens of calls two days after the deadly shooting in 2012.

In one of the calls he allegedly said, “ “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].”

The charge carries with it a maximum prison term of five years and a fine of up to $250,000 if found guilty.

“This complaint charges that Cardenas Hoffman made dozens of threatening telephone calls to residents of Newtown when they were suffering from one of the worst tragedies in our nation’s history,” said U.S. Attorney Daly after his arrest. “Threatening such vulnerable people is reprehensible and inhuman criminal conduct. Further, it inappropriately stressed law enforcement resources at a critically demanding time. This case demonstrates the resolve of our office and the FBI to arrest individuals who believe that international boundaries will protect them from prosecution in the United States.”

FBI officials investigated the case.

“The motivation to catch criminals runs deep within the FBI, but the pursuit of criminals who prey on innocent victims motivates agents like nothing else,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Ferrick in a statement. “That someone can so callously prey on a community with such hate and vitriol is beyond comprehension. This arrest, a year and a half after the Newtown tragedy, speaks to the unrelenting commitment and compassion for victims and their families and sends an important warning to those inclined to commit similar crimes. The FBI’s reach is exceptionally far and wide and equally enduring.”