Federal Arrest Warrant Issued for Brian Laundrie Amid Gabby Petito Investigation

Just two days after Gabby Petito was confirmed dead at 22, a federal arrest warrant was issued for her fiancé Brian Laundrie on a fraud-related charge.

By Mike Vulpo Sep 23, 2021 11:48 PMTags
Watch: Brian Laundrie INDICTED on Bank Fraud Charges

The search for Brian Laundrie just intensified.

Two days after authorities confirmed that the remains found in Bridger-Teton National Forest belonged to YouTuber Gabby Petito, her fiancé Brian Laundrie is now officially wanted by police.

"On September 22, 2021, the U.S. District Court of Wyoming issued a federal arrest warrant for Brian Christopher Laundrie pursuant to a Federal Grand Jury indictment related to Mr. Laundrie's activities following the death of Gabrielle Petito," the FBI in Denver shared on Twitter. "The #FBI continues to seek information from anyone who utilized the Spread Creek Dispersed Camping Area between Aug. 27-30, 2021, who may have had contact with Ms. Petito or Mr. Laundrie, or who may have seen their vehicle."

According to the indictment obtained by E! News, Laundrie "knowingly and with intent to defraud, used one or more unauthorized access devices" including a debit card and bank account between Aug. 30 and Sept. 1. By such conduct, the indictment claims Laundrie "obtained things of value aggregating to $1,000 or more during that period." 

In another tweet, FBI Denver's Special Agent in Charge Michael Schneider had a message to those following the case.

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"While this warrant allows law enforcement to arrest Mr. Laundrie, the FBI and our partners across the country continue to investigate the facts and circumstance of Ms. Petito's homicide," the tweet stated. "We urge individuals with knowledge of Mr. Laundrie's role in this matter or his current whereabouts to contact the FBI."

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Soon after the arrest warrant was issued, the Laundrie family attorney released a statement to E! News. "It is my understanding that the arrest warrant for Brian Laundrie is related to activities occurring after the death of Gabby Petito and not related to her actual demise," lawyer Steve Bertolino shared. "The FBI is focusing on locating Brian and when that occurs the specifics of the charges covered under the indictment will be addressed in the proper forum."

The mystery surrounding Petito's disappearance first garnered national attention when Laundrie returned home from a cross-country road trip they were taking across the western United States. Despite driving her campervan back to Florida, Petito was not with Laundrie when he arrived. The couple was documenting their travels on Instagram and YouTube.

Petito's parents would file a missing persons report for their daughter on Sept. 11, 10 days after her fiancé returned to his family's home in Florida.

Authorities previously identified Laundrie as a person of interest in the case. However, he was reported missing on Sept. 11.

Before Laundrie disappeared, his lawyer said in a statement that his client would not speak about the case because "intimate partners are often the first person law enforcement focuses their attention on in cases like this and the warning that 'any statement made will be used against you' is true, regardless of whether my client had anything to do with Ms. Petito's disappearance."

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