JUPITER, Fla. — A Florida man known for organizing large boat parades in support of President Donald Trump turned himself in to jail on accusations he threatened another person.
Carlos Gavidia, 53, was charged Tuesday with issuing a written threat to commit bodily injury, according to online jail records through the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office. It is a second-degree felony that carries a prison sentence of 15 years if convicted.
Gavidia received national attention for hosting the large boat parades in support of the president, called "Trumptillas." At least 1,500 watercraft were counted during an event in May along the Intracoastal Waterway from Jupiter to Mar-a-Lago, according to Florida Today.
"The media's against him. Everybody's against him. He can't do rallies. So for the last couple months, I've really replaced those rallies by bringing 15,000 to 20,000 people," Gavidia said of the president at the time.
Gavidia, according to a police report obtained by The Palm Beach Post, confronted a man who, during a previous day, told Gavidia to wear a face mask because he was eating dinner with his elderly father.
It was during a second encounter that Gavidia allegedly cursed at the man, saying, "(Expletive) you, you (expletive) little Jew!," the report states, according to the Post. Gavidia then reportedly texted the man that he, "(expletive) with the wrong guy. ... I've got nothing to lose but you have plenty like your life, you have no idea who I am."
Gavidia's attorney, Stuart Kaplan, told the Post he and his family "have been the victim of constant taunting and harassment since the beginning of taking on this Trump boat patriotic endeavor."
The Post reports Gavidia said he moved out of the exclusive Admirals Cove community because of taunting, claiming it was the other man who was the aggressor.
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