A Riverview woman, Andrea Rubiano, has entered a guilty plea on charges of transmitting a threat in interstate commerce and lying to a federal agent. These charges carry the possibility of a 10-year federal prison sentence, although a sentencing date remains undetermined, the U.S. Attorney's Office announced.
Last month, the government's plea agreement detailed that Rubiano sent a series of threatening text messages to 12 Palestinian Americans living in Florida's Middle District. A victim received messages stating, "Palestinians in Tampa must die!!" and derogatory remarks about their family and heritage. Some messages also included hate-filled symbolism such as the Israeli flag, Palestinian flag emojis, and skull-and-crossbones flag emojis, as per the U.S. Attorney's Office.
During an interview with an FBI Special Agent from the Joint Terrorism Task Force shortly after the messages were sent, Rubiano denied her involvement, stating she would "never threaten [the victim’s] family." According to the statement from the U.S. Attorney's Office, she later confessed to both sending the threats and lying to the federal agent during that initial interview.
In her plea, Rubiano acknowledged her targeting of Palestinian Americans and/or Arabic individuals was based on their perceived race, religion, national origin, or ethnicity. This admittance aligns with an increase in reported hate crimes across the nation, highlighting a rise in bigotry and the need for increased vigilance against such acts. The case is currently under the prosecution by Assistant United States Attorney Lindsey Schmidt.
