The U.S. Department of Justice on Thursday charged a Pennsylvania police chief for allegedly violating a man’s civil rights. The charges came after the chief threatened to arrest the man for posting “critical” comments against the chief and his department on Facebook. According to court records, the chief has agreed to plead guilty and has also agreed to resign from the force.
According to a criminal information filed in U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, the chief, Brian Buglio, 45, of Lattimer Mines, Pa., was employed by the West Hazleton Police Department. West Hazelton is about an hour south of Scranton.
The document says a person referred to only by the anonymous moniker Individual #1 “posted social media content on Facebook criticizing [Buglio] and the West Hazleton Police Department.” Here’s how the feds allege the matter unfolded:
On or about March 4, 2020, Individual #1 met with BRIAN BUGLIO at the West Hazleton Police Department, in accordance with BRIAN BUGLIO’s directions. During that meeting, BRIAN BUGLIO, acting under color of law, threatened to pursue felony criminal charges against Individual #1, in retaliation for Individual #1’s social media posts on Facebook and to stifle Individual #1’s exercise of free speech.

美国司法部周四指控宾夕法尼亚州一名警察局长侵犯一名男子的公民权利。
因这名男子在脸书上发表批评局长及其所在部门的言论,于是警察局长威胁要逮捕他。
根据法庭记录,这位警察局长已经同意认罪,并同意从警队辞职。
根据宾夕法尼亚州中区联邦地方法院提交的一份刑事资料显示,45岁的布莱恩·布里奥是是西黑兹尔顿警察局的局长。
记录文件称,一名匿名者在脸书上发布了批评布里奥和西黑兹尔顿警察局的帖子。
以下是联邦调查局对此事的指控:
大约在2020年3月4日,匿名者按照布里奥局长的指示,在西黑兹尔顿警察局与布里奥见面。在那次谈话中,布里奥局长以法律的名义威胁要对匿名者提起重罪指控,以报复匿名者在脸书上发布的帖子,并扼杀匿名者行使言论自由的权利。

Individual #1 “agreed to remove” the posts “and to refrain from creating additional social media posts critical” of the chief or the department, the document goes on to say.
Prosecutors allege specifically that Buglio violated 18 U.S.C. § 242.
Scranton ABC affiliate WNEP identified Individual #1 as Paul Delorenzo of East Stroudsburg, Pa. He told the TV station he criticized the chief and the department for being “slow to make an arrest” in a case which involved him. The TV station’s report says Delorenzo also “accused the chief of committing a violent crime.”
“He called me, left me a voicemail, and said that he was going to arrest me for a crime that was being investigated for something I’ve never even done or had any part of,” Delorenzo told the TV station.
In the report, Delorenzo then described how the chief allegedly threatened him.
“He goes, ‘Well, you like to post fake things and fake stories about me so, I could make up a fake arrest and put you in jail,'” Delorenzo said.
Delorenzo then said he agreed to take down the post, shook hands with the chief, and later called the FBI.
According to other court records, the chief signed a plea agreement related to the case on April 22. A defense attorney signed the document April 28. The timing of the plea agreement is interesting considering the charging document is dated May 27. Prosecutors signed the plea agreement on May 27 as well.

谈话结束后,匿名者“同意删除”这些帖子,并保证“不再发表其他批评”局长及其所在部门的社交帖子。
检察官明确指控布里奥局长违反了《美国法典》第18章第242节。
美国广播公司旗下的WNEP附属电视台,确认匿名者是宾夕法尼亚州东斯特劳兹堡的保罗·德洛伦佐。
他对电视台说,他批评局长和警察局在办理他的案件中,“逮捕行动迟缓”。
电视台的报道说,德洛伦佐还“指控这位局长犯下暴力罪行”。
德洛伦佐告诉电视台:“他给我打电话,给我留了语音留言,说他要用一项我从未做过或参与过的罪名逮捕我。”
在报告中,德洛伦佐描述了这位局长是如何威胁他的。
“他(局长)说,‘嗯,既然你喜欢发布关于我的假消息和假故事,那我也可以编造一个假逮捕令,把你关进监狱,”德洛伦佐说。
德洛伦佐表示,在局长发出威胁后,他同意删除帖子,并与局长握手。
之后他便打电话给联邦调查局。
根据其他法庭记录显示,该局长于4月22日签署了一份与此案有关的认罪协议。一名辩护律师于4月28日签署了这份文件。考虑到指控文件的发出日期是5月27日,认罪协议的时间安排很有意思。检察官也于5月27日在认罪协议签字。

“The defendant agrees to resign the defendant’s position as Chief of the West Hazleton Police Department within 10 days of the entry of the plea pursuant to this Agreement,”
West Hazleton officials would not confirm Buglio’s employment status to WNEP. However, they eventually told the Hazleton Standard Speaker that Buglio had, indeed, resigned from the force.
The maximum possible penalty for the offense is one year behind bars, one year of supervised release, and fine of up to $100,000.
Local residents quoted by the TV station offered mixed opinions on the matter. One person who said she went to school with the chief said he had the right to “stick[] up for himself.” Another person said the chief didn’t have the authority to police speech.

被告同意在认罪协议生效后10天内辞去西黑兹尔顿警察局局长的职务,
西黑兹尔顿的警方官员不愿向WNEP电视台透漏布里奥的就业状况。然而,他们最后表示,布里奥确实已经从警局辞职了。
目前,法律对于这种威胁行为的最高处罚,是一年监禁,一年监督释放,以及最高10万美元的罚款。
据电视台报道,当地居民对此事的看法不一。
一位说自己曾和警长一起上过学的人士说,警长有权“维护自己”。
另一位人士说,这位局长没有权力对言论进行监管。