Arizona Man Pleads Guilty to Threatening Federal Officials on Social Media
Michael Lee Tomasi, a 37-year-old man from Rio Verde, Arizona, has pleaded guilty in federal court to making threats against multiple federal officials on social media. The United States Attorney’s Office announced that Tomasi entered a guilty plea on Aug. 13 to the charges against him.
According to officials, Tomasi’s social media posts expressed a desire to incite violence, targeting a city district attorney, a state court judge, a member of Congress, and other federal officials and law enforcement officers. These threats were made between May 2021 and November 2023 while Tomasi was living in Colorado and Arizona.
One of the threats Tomasi posted read, “Shoot the FBI first and ask questions later. . . . Any FBI [agents] 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.” U.S. Attorney Gary Restaino believes Tomasi was fully prepared to carry out these threats. When arrested, Tomasi had a loaded handgun in his vehicle, as well as other firearms and body armor in his home.
Tomasi is set to be sentenced on Oct. 23 and faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. Restaino emphasized the importance of prosecuting threat offenses to ensure the safety of Americans.
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