A federal judge in Wyoming has issued an arrest warrant for Brian Laundrie, the FBI announced early Thursday evening.
The 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. “While 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’s homicide,” FBI Denver Special Agent in Charge Michael Schneider said in a news release. “We urge individuals with knowledge of Mr. Laundrie’s 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.” The warrant disseminated by the FBI indicates that Landrie is wanted for an alleged violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1029(a)(1). However, the actual indictment — which was made public nearly an hour after the FBI announced the news — actually charges Laundrie with violating a closely related yet entirely separate federal statute, 18 U.S.C. § 1029(a)(2). The statute reads: The punishment is “imprisonment for not more than 10 years” and a fine of up to a quarter-million dollars, the statute says. According to the indictment, Laundrie used Petito’s 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 “in the District of Wyoming and elsewhere.
