A Florida attorney living in Mississippi was arrested after allegedly threatening to 'kill federal agents' while attempting to purchase a firearm and pepper spray, according to a release from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Homeland Security Investigations identified Lisa C. White as a Florida attorney in a post announcing her arrest, and HSI Gulfport special agents arrested her in Long Beach, Mississippi.
The investigation began on September 23 after an agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives alerted HSI to the encounter at High Caliber Guns in Long Beach, according to a federal criminal complaint obtained by the Sun Herald. White entered the store at about 11:30 a.m. and told employees, 'I need a gun,' the complaint states, according to the newspaper.
She allegedly identified herself as an activist and protester and said she wanted a firearm for protection at a protest because she believed 'ICE agents are becoming crazy and wild,' and also told an employee she wanted to buy a gun to kill ICE agents, according to the complaint cited by the Sun Herald. Authorities said she asked whether specific firearms could penetrate ballistic vests, then allegedly said she would target agents' heads, shoulders, arms or legs if the armour could not be breached.
Store staff declined the sale, and HSI agents interviewed witnesses before locating and arresting White the following day, according to the agency account reported by The Rabbit Hole News and the ICE release. Particle reported that White pleaded not guilty on October 15 and that a judge ordered her held pending trial, on a federal charge of threatening or retaliating against a federal official that could carry up to about 10 years in prison if convicted.
Source: Particle — Florida Attorney Arrested in Mississippi After Alleged Threat to Kill ICE Agents
'The safety of our personnel is paramount, and HSI takes any threat against federal law enforcement officers with the utmost seriousness,' HSI Gulfport Assistant Special Agent in Charge Matthew Reidell said, commending the citizens who reported the alleged threats. The Sun Herald reported White is a licensed attorney who has been a member of the Florida Bar since 1995. White has pleaded not guilty, and the allegations in the complaint have not been proven in court.
What is solid
- HSI arrested Lisa C. White in Long Beach, Mississippi, after a September 23 gun-store report was relayed by ATF — ICE/HSI release, corroborated by Particle and The Rabbit Hole News summaries of the complaint.
- White pleaded not guilty on October 15 and was ordered held pending trial, with trial reported for November 16 — Particle.
What is only claimed
- What White allegedly said and intended at the store is the prosecution's allegation in a criminal complaint; she has pleaded not guilty and no court has found the allegations proven.