A San Antonio woman is currently facing serious charges for allegedly making threats against a federal law enforcement officer, explicitly, an Immigration and Customs Enforcement - Homeland Security Investigations (ICE-HSI) agent, according to a recent announcement by U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei. 42-year-old Michelle Lee Varela was arrested following the threats that were reported to have been made over the phone.
The events that led to Varela's confrontation with the authorities began on June 4, when, during a lawful immigration operation, ICE-HSI agents approached her for information regarding her husband's residency status in the U.S.; Varela reportedly not only refused to assist them but also resorted to profanities and threatened to carry out violent acts should her husband be detained. The complaint alleges that law enforcement warned her to take heed of her own words, reminding her that she had just threatened a federal agent but she persisted with her aggressive tone and eventually disconnected the call, as reported by the U.S. Attorney's Office.
With her initial court appearance having already taken place in San Antonio, Varela faces potentially steep legal repercussions. If found guilty of the charges she stands accused of, which include influencing, impeding or retaliating against a federal officer by threat and using interstate communications to make a threat, she could find herself in federal prison for up to 10 years for the threat and an additional five years for the interstate communications charges, with each charge also carrying the possibility of a $250,000 fine, upon conviction.
The investigation leading up to Varela's arrest was a cooperative effort between ICE-HSI and the Goliad County Sheriff’s Office, with Assistant U.S. Attorney Patti Hubert Booth assigned to prosecute the case.
