SAN DIEGO – On Tuesday, August 13, George Joseph Wellinger II, 48, of San Diego made his first appearance in federal court to face charges that he sent a threatening email to a member of the LGBTQ community.
According to a press release from the Office of the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of California, the victim was targeted after being interviewed for a KTLA news report about a hate-inspired murder in Lake Arrowhead in 2023.
Per the indictment, the email called the victim “another alphabet clown that wants to take a dirt nap, too,” and included a link to the KTLA news report which featured the victim and others discussing the murder of a Lake Arrowhead business owner who had been gunned down for hanging a Pride flag in her business.
The email continued: “We know what you look like and know where are you are….only a matter of time….Love it….get ur ghey on sister….scissor it up….we coming for ur rainbow azz. Click Click!!!!;
Wellinger made his initial appearance in federal court Tuesday. He was arraigned on an indictment charging him with Transmitting a Threatening Communication. The indictment alleges Wellinger targeted his victim because of her sexual orientation.
“Hate crimes are designed terrify both the victim and the community,” U.S. Attorney Tara McGrath said in the release. “The U. S. Attorney’s Office works tirelessly on prosecuting these cases to send our own message: San Diego is no place for hate.”
“Today’s indictment serves as a reminder there is no room for hate in our community,” said Stacey Moy, Special Agent in Charge for the FBI San Diego Field Office. “Hate crimes remain one of the top FBI priorities and we will continue to protect and safeguard our communities.”
Wellinger was taken into custody early Tuesday and at the hearing, U.S. Magistrate Judge Barbara L. Major set a $50,000 bond and ordered home detention and electronic monitoring.
If convicted of transmitting a threatening communication, Wellinger faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison.
Per the release, anyone who anyone believes they have been the victim of a hate crime is urged to contact the FBI at https://tips.fbi.gov/home.
For more information and resources about the department’s work to combat hate crimes, visit https://www.justice.gov/hatecrimes.
