Last October, 19-year-old Jose Orlando Padilla, called a south Texas Valero refinery and announced, “There’s a bomb in complex six.”
About five minutes later, 3:20 p.m. on that Tuesday afternoon, Padilla called the refinery again. This time he asked to be transferred to a different extension and announced:
“There’s a bomb in complex six and seven.”
According to a FBI release, just six minutes later, Padilla called the refinery a third time and repeated the threat.
Three days later, at 6:08 a.m., Padilla again called the refinery and claimed, “There’s a bomb in complex six. It’s going to blow up between 6:30 and 7:00 a.m.”
When the employee from Valero tried to ask a question about the bomb Padilla replied with profanity. Then he added that the “bomb is going to go and you need to clear complex six.”
Padilla, of Robstown, Texas, was convicted on Thursday, February 10 of using a telephone to communicate bomb threats to that Valero Refinery in Corpus Christi, United States Attorney Kenneth Magidson announced.
Stephen L. Morris, special agent in charge of the FBI said Padilla entered his guilty plea at a hearing before Senior United States District Judge Hayden Head.
“Each and every hoax threat wastes precious law enforcement resources, time and money,” said Morris. “Those responsible will be identified and held accountable.”
Padilla admitted to the threats that caused Valero security, law enforcement personnel and bomb detection dogs to be dispatched and the FBI began an investigation.
Padilla was arrested before the end of the day of his last threat by the Nueces County Sheriff’s Office on Oct. 28, 2011.
During his arrest, Padilla admitted the cell phone used to communicate the bomb threats was in his possession at the time the threats were made.
Padilla was returned to federal custody where he will remain pending his sentencing hearing, set for April 17, 2012.
Padilla will faces up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. Following any sentence of incarceration Padilla may additionally be assessed a period of up to three years of federal supervised release.
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