By Joseph Hosey



A community newspaperman—and live-in lover of a Joliet woman charged with setting up and indulging in a teen sex romp—was arrested by the FBI Thursday morning.



John Gabriel, 77, of 6901 Monmouth Drive was taken into custody about 8 a.m., sources said. One source said Gabriel was charged with obstructing justice.



"An arrest was made as part of a criminal investigation," said FBI spokeswoman Joan Hyde.



Hyde referred further questions to U.S. Attorney spokesman Randall Samborn. Samborn confirmed Gabriel had been arrested and said he will provide more details later Thursday morning.



Gabriel's girlfriend, 33-year-old Margarita Hernandez, was arrested in October after allegedly orchestrating a sexual liaison with a teenage boy. The youth is a friend of the son of one of Hernandez's cousins, officials said. Gabriel was home with Hernandez at the time of the alleged sex date, police said.



Hernandez's case remains pending.



In the wake of her arrest, Gabriel claimed his much-younger girlfriend was nothing more than a patsy in a frame-up concocted by the numerous enemies he has made over the years in the cutthroat world of community news.



"There's a lot of people I have angered," Gabriel said at the time, adding, "They're punishing an innocent girl to try to get even with me, and it is a dirty, rotten shame."



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