Arizona man pleads guilty for online threats made against federal officials
Aug 15, 2024, 4:25 AM
An Arizona man pled guilty on Tuesday to online threats made against federal officials. (Pexels Photo)
(Pexels Photo)
PHOENIX – A man pleaded guilty on Tuesday for making online threats against federal officials, authorities announced.
Michael Lee Tomasi, 37, used social media to send threats toward a state court judge, a member of Congress, a city district attorney, federal officials and law enforcement officers.
The threats occurred between May 2021 and November 2023 while Tomasi lived in Colorado and Arizona, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona.
“This disgruntled defendant threatened officials from all three branches of government,” U.S. Attorney Gary Restaino for the District of Arizona said in a press release. “Moreover, he was prepared to carry out his threats: when arrested he had a loaded handgun in his vehicle, as well as other firearms and body armor in his home.”
Tomasi, a Rio Verde resident, pled guilty to a post on Aug. 26, 2023, where he threatened FBI agents, saying, “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.”
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Tomasi will be sentenced on Oct. 23 and faces a maximum of 10 years in prison.
The case is under investigation by the FBI.
