Department of Justice
U.S. Attorney’s Office
Southern District of Illinois
Friday, February 6, 2015
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The United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, Stephen R. Wigginton, announced today that Steven Vizcarrondo, 22, of Carbondale, Illinois, was indicted by a federal grand jury on February 5, 2015, on a federal charge stemming from a murder threat directed toward a Social Security Administration employee in Carbondale, Illinois, on Jan. 27, 2015. A conviction on this charge of Influencing Federal Official by Threat carries maximum penalties of ten years in federal prison, three years supervised release, a $250,000 fine and a $100 special assessment.
Authorities arrested Vizcarrondo in Carbondale on February 5, 2015. The United States District Court for the Southern District of Illinois in Benton ordered that Vizcarrondo be held without bond pending his trial, which has yet to be set.
An indictment is a formal charge against a defendant. Under the law, a defendant is presumed to be innocent of a charge until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt to the satisfaction of a jury.
This case was investigated by the Federal Protective Service and the Social Security Administration, Office of the Inspector General. Assistance was provided by the Carbondale Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney John C. Constance.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
