Online threats earn Arizona man over a year in federal prison

PHOENIX — An Arizona man was sentenced Monday to over a year in prison after making online threats against law enforcement officers and public officials, authorities said.

A federal judge sentenced Michael Lee Tomasi, 37, of Rio Verde to 15 months in prison to be followed by 36 months of supervised release, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona.

Tomasi was arrested in December 2023 and pleaded guilty to one count of making threats against public officials in August of this year. He was initially indicted on three counts of the same offense, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years.

“After making vile threats to execute and sexually assault FBI agents and employees, state and local law enforcement officials, and other public servants, Michael Tomasi told the FBI to ‘come to my house and see what happens.’” Attorney General Merrick B. Garland said in a press release Tuesday. “What has happened is that he will spend 15 months in federal prison.”

What kind of online threats did Arizona man make?

According to prosecutors, Tomasi made a series of threats on social media while he lived in Colorado and Arizona from May 2021 to November 2023.

The guilty plea was for a social media threat he made on Aug. 26, 2023.

“Shoot the FBI first and ask questions later. … Any FBI have a problem with that come to my house and see what happens. Shoot before they even pull their guns out of their trunk and you shoot to kill,” the post said.

As part of his sentencing, Tomasi was ordered to forfeit multiple firearms and thousands of rounds of ammunition.

“Civil discourse and civic dialogue are fundamental to a democratic society, but the incitement of violence is not,” Gary Restaino, U.S. Attorney for the District of Arizona, said in the release. “We will continue our efforts to prosecute those who make true threats against public officials and law enforcement officers.”

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