Frank Figliuzzi, a former assistant director for counterintelligence at the FBI, predicted that Brian Laundrie’s parents will soon be summoned to a grand jury.
“I would expect that to happen momentarily, see them in front of a grand jury, and then if they are not going to cooperate, they can get charged with contempt or obstruction,” Figliuzzi said. “There is no parental-child privilege, and I actually thought, by now, we would see them summoned to the grand jury. We now have an indictment, it’s a federal case.”
Attorneys for the Laundrie family did not respond to CNBC’s request for comment.
A federal grand jury indicted Brian Laundrie following the death of his fiancé Gabby Petito. Laundrie was not indicted for killing Petito, but for unauthorized use of a debit card after she died.
The indictment alleges that Laundrie made unauthorized use of a Capitol One Bank debit card between Aug. 30 and Sept.1 for purchasing items adding up to more than $1,000.
Figliuzzi told CNBC’s “The News with Shepard Smith” that the usage of “unauthorized use” in the indictment is revealing in itself.
“If it’s her credit card, presumably, that means that authorities are convinced that Gabby was unable to give permission to use her card. That means they are closer to fixing the time of death…that’s why you are seeing ‘unauthorized use,’ she was likely dead at that time,” Figliuzzi, an NBC News national security analyst, said.
Laundrie hasn’t been seen since Sept. 14, when he told his family he was going for a hike in Florida’s Carlton Preserve.
A national hotline is accepting tips for anyone to come forward with information on the Gabby Petito case: 1-800-CALLFBI (225-5324).
