CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — The FBI is out with a new public campaign -- warning about the consequences of making online threats. The threats would be taken seriously even if they were meant as some joke.
Corpus Christi police officials and the Nueces County District Attorney repeated the FBI's warning with hope to head off online threats before they start.
The FBI's public service announcement has been shared and viewed by law enforcement all across the country, including Corpus Christi.
"I used social media to vent," public service announcement said. "I got arrested by the FBI, and now I don't know what my future looks like.>
"We work closely with all our law enforcement counterparts," Lt. Michael Pena said.
According to Pena, the FBI message can't be any clearer, any more specific. Make online threats, and there will be consequences.
"People think that they, you know they can be anonymous, but you know their ways we can subpoena the information. That they are not anonymous that their identity can be found, and we will track them," Pena said.
"These essentially constitute terroristic threats," said Matt Manning, First Assistant District Attorney.
The FBI announcement drives the message home.
"You cannot do that it's not a joke, and if you even do that jokingly we are going to prosecute you," Manning said.
The third-degree felony can land a person making terroristic threats in prison for up to ten years, and the law when it comes to this particular crime isn't biased.
"Girl, boy, man, woman, adult, a child if you commit this offense we are going to hold you accountable," Manning said.
All law enforcement echoing the same theme to citizens if you see something, say something.
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