BOSTON – A Brazilian national pleaded guilty today in
connection with sending a letter to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
(USCIS) that threatened an armed attack on a South Boston school in 2018.
Clebio P. De Lima, 43, a Brazilian national previously
residing in Quincy, pleaded guilty to two counts of making false statements to
federal authorities. U.S. District Court Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton scheduled
sentencing for July 31, 2019.
In February 2018, USCIS’ Boston Office received an unsigned
letter handwritten in Portuguese stating that an individual identified by the
name of “Mario” was going to carry out an attack at a South Boston school. The
letter stated that Mario had purchased two firearms and that he was looking to
buy more. The letter concluded by stating, “I invite you to take action, I
trust in you. Thank you for the great security of this country.”
Following an investigation, it was determined that the
allegations in the letter were false, and that De Lima sent the letter to USCIS
hoping that the federal government would arrest his ex-wife’s boyfriend. During
a subsequent interview with federal law enforcement agents in September 2018,
De Lima falsely denied any knowledge about the unsigned letter sent to USCIS.
The charging statute provides for a sentence of no greater
than five years in prison, one year of supervised release and a $250,000 fine.
Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S.
Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling; Joseph R.
Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation,
Boston Field Division; and Peter C. Fitzhugh, Special Agent in Charge of the
Homeland Security Investigations in Boston, made the announcement today. The case was investigated by the FBI Boston
Joint Terrorism Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorney George P. Varghese of
Lelling’s National Security Unit is prosecuting the case.
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