Romanian man pleads guilty to ‘swatting' plot that targeted Marjorie Taylor Green, other Georgia lawmakers

Yahoo

2 days ago

The Brief
A Romanian man has pleaded guilty to engaging in a plot to use "swatting" calls and bomb threats to target national and Georgia lawmakers.
Prosecutors say the group, which was led by Thomasz Szabo, deliberately targeted both sides of the political aisle to cause chaos.
Georgia state Sen. Clint Dixon was one of the group's victims and described to FOX 5 the experience of being swatted during Christmas in 2023.
WASHINGTON, D.C. - A Romanian man has pleaded guilty to engaging in a plot to use "swatting" calls and bomb threats to intimidate and threaten dozens of people with bogus police emergencies, including several Georgia political leaders.
Investigators say Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, Georgia Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, and Georgia state Sen. Clint Dixonwere also among those targeted by Thomasz Szabo.
What we know
In August 2024, federal authorities say they arrested Szabo and Nemanja Radovanovic of Serbia, accusing the pair of organizing swatting calls and plotting bomb threats dating as far back as December 2020.
Szabo, also known as "Plank," "Jonah," and "Cypher," pleaded guilty before a U.S. District Court judge on Monday to one count of conspiracy and one count of threats and false information regarding explosives.
Prosecutors say the Romanian man was the leader of the group and targeted at least 25 members of Congress and their family members, multiple current or former senior members of the executive branch, members of the federal judiciary, religious leaders, and an unnamed former U.S. president.
Szabo told Radovanovic that they should pick targets from both the Republican and Democratic parties because "we are not on any side," the indictment says.
Two threats federal prosecutors highlighted were a December 2020 threat to commit mass shootings at New York City synagogues and a January 2021 threat to detonate explosives at the U.S. Capitol.
During that time period, one of Szasbo's subordinates reportedly bragged him: "I did 25+ swattings today," and "creating massive havoc in [A]merica. $500,000+ in taxpayers wasted in just two days."
Local perspective
Sen. Clint Dixon told FOX 5 after the arrest that he and his family were the victims of a swatting call at Christmas in 2023.
"My wife was actually upstairs packing. We were leaving for a trip the next day. I was watching football. She started screaming that police were coming up our steps on our front porch. She saw it on the Ring doorbell," he recalled.
The SWAT officers were responding to a 911 call from someone reporting a dangerous domestic dispute at Dixon's address.
"Met by, I think it was, SWAT team members who alerted me that there had been a call of a domestic dispute that a male had shot a female," he said. "They asked where my wife was and by that time, she comes running down the stairs, and they realized it was a hoax."
What they're saying
"This defendant led a dangerous swatting criminal conspiracy, deliberately threatening dozens of government officials with violent hoaxes and targeting our nation's security infrastructure from behind a screen overseas," said Attorney General Bondi. "This case reflects our continued focus on protecting the American people and working with international partners to stop these threats at their source."
"This plea agreement is a testament to the extraordinary investigative work, tenacity, and global reach of the U.S. Secret Service and our partners," said Special Agent in Charge McCool. "This perpetrator hid behind a computer screen on the other side of the world believing he could commit these crimes with impunity. It was a gross miscalculation to underestimate our determination in pursuing and bringing to justice those who would commit these crimes, wherever they may be."
"Swatting is not just a prank, it is a serious violation of the law," said Assistant Director in Charge Jensen of the Washington Field Office. "Today's guilty plea makes clear those engaged these actions will face justice."
What's next
Charges against Radovanovic are still pending. Online court records indicate that he hasn't made any court appearances in Washington yet.
Szabo is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 23 by U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson in Washington, D.C.
The Source
Information for this report came from a release by the U.S. Justice Department and previous FOX 5 interviews with Sen. Clint Dixon. The Associated Press contributed to this report.