A San Diego man who allegedly sent a threatening email to a member of the LGBTQ community is facing a federal charge of transmitting a threatening communication, the U.S. Attorney's Office announced Tuesday.
George Joseph Wellinger II, 48, is accused of messaging threats to the victim after she appeared in a TV news report regarding a 2023 hate-crime murder in Lake Arrowhead, in which a local business owner was fatally shot for displaying a Pride flag in front of her business.
In an email, Wellinger allegedly called the victim "another alphabet clown that wants to take a dirt nap, too" and is also accused of writing, "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 a San Diego federal courtroom on Tuesday. During that hearing, bond was set at $50,000 and a judge ordered home detention with electronic monitoring.
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"Hate crimes are designed to terrify both the victim and the community," said San Diego U.S. Attorney Tara McGrath in a statement. "The U.S. Attorney's Office works tirelessly on prosecuting these cases to send our own message: San Diego is no place for hate."
