A fired FBI agent who stockpiled weapons and left behind a note for the media detailing why he wanted to kill the head of the FBI's Dallas office pleaded guilty in federal court Wednesday to a charge of retaliation.
Carlos Ortiz Jr., who spent 22 years with the FBI's Dallas Division, faces up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine after pleading guilty to one count of retaliating against a federal official. Sentencing is scheduled for March 18.
Ortiz's attorneys didn't immediately return messages left by The Associated Press.
The 49-year-old Red Oak man was placed on leave in May and fired Aug. 25, the same day he was arrested. According to court records, he appears to have been distraught about divorce proceedings and a custody battle with his wife, who also works for the FBI.
Investigators said he had stockpiled 29 weapons, including a rifle with a silencer, and told two friends he planned to kill Dallas Special Agent in Charge Robert Casey. The two friends, disturbed about Ortiz's threats, talked to one another about their conversations with him and decided to report Ortiz to the FBI.
During a subsequent recorded telephone call, Ortiz promised to urinate on Casey's grave and said he would shoot him. He expressed anger about being placed on leave and requested his friend's help in obtaining a handgun with a silencer, according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney's Office.
Authorities searching Ortiz's home on the day of his arrest reported finding a "signed sworn statement" from Ortiz placed inside an envelope labeled "DAD TAKE TO THE PRESS." Ortiz's note said "Casey has broken me as a man and human being . . . and has left me with no options."
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An FBI spokesman said Wednesday that Casey would not comment on the case because it remains open.
