A Middle Village man associated with the far-right group the Proud Boys was denied bail in Brooklyn federal court on Wednesday, Jan. 13, after he was arrested by FBI agents the night before.
Eduard Florea, 40, was taken into custody on the night of Jan. 12 after the FBI-NYPD Joint Terrorism Task Force raided his home on 76th Street off Eliot Avenue in Middle Village.
Florea is facing a convicted felon in possession of ammunition charge filed by the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York. The father of two young children was found to have more than 1,000 rounds of rifle ammunition, over 20 rounds of shotgun ammunition, around 75 military-style combat knives, two hatches and two swords inside his home at the time of the FBI’s search, according to the criminal complaint.
Florea, who had applied to be a member of the Proud Boys but had yet to attend the requisite number of meetings prior to his arrest, allegedly wrote about sending an armed caravan to the Capitol following the Jan. 6 attack by an angry Trump mob, according to the feds.
Florea was a frequent user of Parler, an app utilized by the far-right and Trump supporters that was taken off of a handful of app stores following the raid in Washington, D.C.
“Here in New York, we are target rich,” he allegedly posted on the app as insurrections stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6.
Law enforcement agents indicated that Florea was not present at the Jan. 6 coup attempt.
Florea was previously arrested on Staten Island in 2014 after police found a stockpile of weapons in his home; he would serve a year in prison. The Staten Island Advance also reported that Florea was picked up two days after that gun bust for allegedly choking his wife.
Earlier on Tuesday, FBI agents picked up a Brooklyn man and the son of a local judge who was part of the U.S. Capitol attack on Jan. 6 and was photographed trespassing inside the building while carrying a Capitol Police officer’s shied.
This story was updated at 4:21 p.m., on Jan. 13, 2021.
