Federal Grand Jury Indicts Bureau of Land Management Engineer on Charges He Threatened to Murder Co-Workers

AMARILLO, TX—A federal grand jury returned an indictment yesterday charging Peter J. Madrid, III, 38, of Albuquerque, New Mexico, with two counts of making threats against a federal employee and one count of intimidating or interfering with a federal employee, announced U.S. Attorney Sarah R. Saldaña of the Northern District of Texas. Madrid was arrested July 26, 2012, on a related charge outlined in a federal criminal complaint and was later released on bond. His arraignment is set for Tuesday, August 14, 2012, at 9:30 a.m., in federal court in Amarillo, Texas.

Madrid is an engineer employed with the U.S. Department of Interior’s Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Office in Amarillo.

The indictment alleges that in June and July 2012, Madrid threatened to assault and murder another BLM employee with the intent to retaliate against him for the performance of his official duties. The indictment also alleges that during the same time period, Madrid forcibly opposed, impeded, intimidated, and interfered with other BLM employees while they were engaged in performing their official duties.

According to the criminal complaint filed in the case, the investigation began in April 2012 when two BLM employees advised the FBI that Madrid was talking about killing them and other BLM employees, and they feared Madrid would follow through on his statements. One of these individuals had reported Madrid to BLM management for inappropriate speech and action toward female BLM employees, which angered Madrid. The complaint further states that a manager at BLM informed the FBI that Madrid had been making threatening statements toward fellow BLM employees and that many were scared of Madrid and what he might do.

A federal indictment is an accusation by a grand jury and a defendant is entitled to the presumption of innocence unless proven guilty. If convicted, however, each of the two counts of making threats against a federal employee carry a maximum statutory sentence of 10 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine. The intimidating or interfering with a federal employee count, upon conviction, carries a maximum statutory sentence of one year in prison and a $100,000 fine.

The investigation is being conducted by the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christy L. Drake of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Amarillo is in charge of the prosecution.