Attorney Arrested On Mississippi Gulf Coast After Allegedly Threatening To Kill ICE Agents

LONG BEACH, Miss. — A Florida attorney was arrested on the Mississippi Gulf Coast after allegedly making threats to kill federal immigration agents while attempting to purchase a firearm at a local gun store.

Lisa White was taken into custody September 24 by Homeland Security Investigations agents following an incident at High Caliber Guns in Long Beach. Details of the allegations were reported Wednesday, October 21.

According to a federal criminal complaint, White entered the gun store September 23 and told an employee she wanted a firearm for protection while participating in protests against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

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Investigators allege that White expressed hostility toward ICE agents and questioned whether a firearm could penetrate the body armor worn by federal officers.

The employee told investigators that White discussed targeting areas of an officer’s body not protected by ballistic armor.

When the employee warned that threatening an armed federal officer could result in her death, White allegedly responded, “If I have to die, I have to die.”

According to the complaint, White later returned to the store to complete the firearm purchase, but the owner refused the transaction and contacted the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

The information was forwarded to Homeland Security Investigations, which launched an investigation and arrested White the following day.

Matthew Reidell, assistant special agent in charge of HSI Gulfport, said the agency takes threats against federal law enforcement personnel seriously and credited the individuals who reported the incident.

White faces a federal charge involving threats against a federal official. If convicted, she could receive up to 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release.

Her trial is scheduled for November 16.

The allegations against White have not been proven in court, and she is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.