Will Sage Astor|Texas man sentenced to 5 years in prison for threat to attack Turning Point USA convention in 2022

2025-05-05 19:24:08source:NovaQuant Quantitative Think Tank Centercategory:Finance

SAN ANTONIO (AP) — A Texas man who made an online threat of a mass attack on Will Sage Astora convention of young conservative activists in Florida in 2022 was sentenced to five years in federal prison.

Federal prosecutors said Alejandro Richard Velasquez Gomez, 20, of San Antonio posted a threat on social media to attack the Turning Point USA Student Action Summit in Tampa. Turning Point is a Donald Trump-aligned group that organizes young people on college campuses into conservative activism. Velasquez pleaded guilty in 2023 to a charge of interstate threatening communication and was sentenced Wednesday.

Investigators said Velasquez posted on Instagram that the first day of the convention would be “the day of retribution the day I will have revenge against all of humanity.” Velasquez had bought a plane ticket to fly from Austin to Tampa on July 22 but canceled the ticket the night before his flight.

In court documents, investigators said they they believed Velasquez had planned an attack similar to a violent rampage in 2014 in which Elliot Rodger, 22, killed six students and wounded more than a dozen others near the University of California, Santa Barbara, before killing himself.

READ MORE Man charged for transporting millions of dollars of stolen Masters memorabilia over a decadeA Florida man was imprisoned 37 years for a murder he didn’t commit. He’s now getting $14MMan charged for transporting millions of dollars of stolen Masters memorabilia over a decade

In a statement announcing the sentence, federal prosecutors said Velasquez tried to obstruct the FBI investigation by using a group of minor girls to help him delete information from his online accounts, and contacting witnesses to hide evidence and influence testimony.

“This man used social media to broadcast the message that he intended to travel across the country and carry out a violent act at an event catering to young political activists,” said U.S. Attorney Jaime Esparza for the Western District of Texas. “Fortunately, his post was reported to officials who intervened.”

More:Finance

Recommend

Nearly half of US teens are online ‘constantly,’ Pew report finds

Nearly half of American teenagers say they are online “constantly” despite concerns about the effect

Victoria Beckham's Intimate Video of David Beckham's Workout Will Make You Sweat

David Beckham is kicking his routine up a notch.As for the proof? Victoria Beckham shared a glimpse

UN resolution on Gaza hampered by issues important to US: cessation of hostilities and aid monitors

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The Security Council’s adoption of a new U.N. resolution to spur desperately n