A federal judge in Wyoming has issued an arrest warrant for Brian Laundrie, the FBI announced early Thursday evening.<\/b>
\nThe FBI announced early Thursday evening that a federal judge in Wyoming issued an arrest warrant for Brian Laundrie, the boyfriend of 22-year-old homicide victim Gabby Petito. The alleged offense is not a homicide charge, but it is the first official accusation of wrongdoing brought against Laundrie in an investigation that has garnered nationwide attention. \u201cWhile this warrant allows law enforcement to arrest Mr. Laundrie, the FBI and our partners across the country continue to investigate the facts and circumstances of Ms. Petito\u2019s homicide,\u201d FBI Denver Special Agent in Charge Michael Schneider said in a news release. \u201cWe urge individuals with knowledge of Mr. Laundrie\u2019s role in this matter or his current whereabouts to contact the FBI. No piece of information is too small or too inconsequential to support our efforts in this investigation.\u201d The warrant disseminated by the FBI indicates that Landrie is wanted for an alleged violation of 18 U.S.C. \u00a7 1029(a)(1). However, the actual indictment \u2014 which was made public nearly an hour after the FBI announced the news \u2014 actually charges Laundrie with violating a closely related yet entirely separate federal statute, 18 U.S.C. \u00a7 1029(a)(2). The statute reads: The punishment is \u201cimprisonment for not more than 10 years\u201d and a fine of up to a quarter-million dollars, the statute says. According to the indictment, Laundrie used Petito\u2019s Capitol One debit card and her PIN to access more than $1,000 between the dates of Aug.30 and Sept.1. The document says the alleged debits occurred \u201cin the District of Wyoming and elsewhere.\u201d The indictment was filed Wednesday at 2:10 p.m. in Wyoming, but it was not unsealed until Thursday. Other federal court documents unsealed Thursday evening say federal prosecutors immediately moved to detain Laundrie pending trial \u2014 if and when he is found. They listed a \u201c[s]erious risk\u201d that he would flee and a \u201c[s]erious risk\u201d of \u201cobstruction of justice\u201d as among the reasons why Laundrie was eligible for pretrial detention. They also listed the necessity of the defendant\u2019s appearance in court and the \u201c[s]afety of any other person and the community\u201d at large as reasons to lock him up. Gabby Petito\u2019s family reported her missing on Sept.11, saying they received an \u201c odd text \u201d from the young woman in late August while she was on a cross-country trip with her fianc\u00e9 Laundrie,23. Petito was reportedly last spotted at the Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming. Police in North Port, Florida, where the couple lived with Laundrie\u2019s parents, said that Laundrie returned there with their van back on Sept.1. Laundrie has not spoken with investigators, authorities said. An attorney for his family reportedly said that he recommended Laundrie not speak to authorities. The Petito case escalated last weekend. On Sunday, the FBI found a body in Wyoming which they said matched Petito\u2019s description. The next day, a coroner confirmed that the remains belonged to Petito and that she was the victim of a homicide. The FBI raided the Laundrie family home the same day. According to cops, Laundrie\u2019s parents came forward last Friday, telling officers they had not seen their son since Tuesday, Sept.14. Police body cam footage from Moab, Utah showed local officers responding to suspected domestic incident on Aug.12. Based on statements from the couple and a witness, they determined Petito struck Laundrie and that Laundrie grabbed her face. Laundrie construed this as the result of minor relationship problems stacking up. Cops had them split up for the night. The FBI specifically said it wished to hear from anyone who used the Spread Creek Dispersed Camping Area between Aug.27 and Aug.20, from anyone \u201cwho may have had contact\u201d with Gabby Petito or Brian Laundrie, or anyone who \u201cmay have seen their vehicle.\u201d The FBI is accepting tips and photos at tips.fbi.gov, fbi.gov\/petito, and phone calls at 1-800-CALL-FBI. Florida authorities have spent days searching the nearby Carlton Reserve, where authorities say the 23-year-old Laundrie left a week ago for a hike. On Facebook, police issued a lengthy statement about their search across \u201cvast and unforgiving\u201d terrain. Posting updates of their excursions daily on YouTube, authorities have used K9s, swamp buggies, drones and other tools in an attempt to find Laundrie. Authorities announced that they have concluded their search for the evening on Thursday, finding nothing. \u201cWe will be back at it Friday, same time,\u201d spokesman Josh Taylor told reporters. Conveying the scope of the search, Taylor estimated that around \u201c75 personnel from 16 different agencies\u201d were on the ground Thursday. Authorities used four swamp buggies, he added. Read the federal court documents below: Matt Naham and Adam Klasfeld contributed to this report. Have a tip we should know? [email protected]<\/p>\n