US

Man Faces Prison Time After Pleading Guilty To Threatening Law Enforcement Officials

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Patch and Weapon on an agent of the FBI. Wikimedia Commons/Public/FBI, Public domain

Jeff Charles Contributor
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Michael Lee Tomasi, a 37-year-old resident of Rio Verde, Arizona, pleaded guilty on Aug. 13, 2024 to making threats against various public officials, including federal agents, according to a press release from the Justice Department (DOJ).

The threats, made between May 2021 and November 2023, targeted a wide range of individuals, such as a city district attorney, a state court judge, a member of Congress, and other federal law enforcement officers, the Justice Department said.

Tomasi admitted to a specific incident on Aug. 26, 2023, when he posted a threat on social media, 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.” (RELATED: ‘Guns Will Come Out’: DOJ Charges Man With Threatening FBI Agent Investigating Hunter Biden)

This post was among several Tomasi posted that included violent rhetoric, which raised concerns among members of law enforcement.

Tomasi “threatened officials from all three branches of government,” according to U.S. Attorney Gary Restaino for the District of Arizona. “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. The prosecution of threats offenses makes Americans safer.”

Attorney General Merrick Garland condemned Tomasi’s actions. “Threats of violence against elected officials, judges, and FBI agents pose immense danger to the physical safety of individual victims and undermine our very system of government,” he said, according to the press release.

FBI Director Christopher Wray echoed these sentiments, highlighting the impact on the agency’s mission: “Threatening law enforcement officers and elected officials strikes at the heart of our communities and our democracy,” he said.

The defendant is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 23, 2024, and faces a maximum of 10 years in prison. The FBI investigated the case while Assistant U.S. Attorneys Raymond K. Woo and Abbie Broughton Marsh for the District of Arizona prosecuted Tomasi.