Romanian Man Pleads Guilty After 'Swatting' Marjorie Taylor Greene
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
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A Romanian man has pleaded guilty in federal court to orchestrating a nationwide swatting campaign that included targeting Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene.
Why It Matters
"Swatting" is a dangerous criminal hoax that involves falsely reporting violent emergencies to prompt heavily armed police raids. The practice can lead to serious injuries—or even deaths—when law enforcement responds under the impression that lives are at risk.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., arrives for a meeting of House Republicans in the Capitol Visitor Center on the budget reconciliation bill on Thursday, May 15, 2025.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., arrives for a meeting of House Republicans in the Capitol Visitor Center on the budget reconciliation bill on Thursday, May 15, 2025.
Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call/AP
What To Know
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, 26-year-old Thomasz Szabo admitted to leading a sprawling, coordinated effort to trigger armed police responses to homes, government offices, and religious institutions where no emergency existed.
Szabo was first arrested in August 2024 alongside Nemanja Radovanovic from Serbia. The pair were accused of organizing swatting calls and plotting bomb threats dating as far back as December 2020.
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.
Szabo's campaign, carried out between December 2023 and January 2024 with the help of co-conspirators, affected at least 40 private citizens and 61 public officials across the country, including 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.
Georgia Lieutenant Governor Burt Jones and Georgia State Senator Clint Dixon were among those targeted. According to the indictment, Szabo told Radovanovic that they should pick targets from both the Republican and Democratic parties because "we are not on any side."
One of Szabo's highest-profile targets was Greene, a staunch supporter of President Trump.
Greene, who has previously been criticized for promoting conspiracy theories—including one about "Jewish space lasers" causing wildfires—had already been a target of swatting attempts prior to Szabo's involvement.
In August 2022, Greene reported being swatted at her Georgia home and described the incident as "traumatizing." At the time, she condemned the attack and vowed accountability: "I don't care what political party you are — this is evil. This is not OK. And I will find out who swatted my house. And I will do everything in my power to bring them to justice."
In 2023, Greene said she was swatted on Christmas Day at home with her family.
"I was just swatted," Greene wrote on X at the time. "This is like the 8th time. On Christmas with my family here."
"My local police are the GREATEST and shouldn't have to deal with this. I appreciate them so much and my family and I are in joyous spirits celebrating the birth of our savior Jesus Christ!" Greene wrote.
What People Are Saying
Lauren Greene, Representative Greene's daughter, said on X: "This man has swatted my mom, @mtgreenee many times. He has swatted my family, my house included."
Attorney General Pam Bondi said: "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. This case reflects our continued focus on protecting the American people and working with international partners to stop these threats at their source."
Special Agent in Charge McCool: "This plea agreement is a testament to the extraordinary investigative work, tenacity, and global reach of the U.S. Secret Service and our partners.
"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."
Assistant Director in Charge Jensen of the Washington Field Office said: "Swatting is not just a prank, it is a serious violation of the law. Today's guilty plea makes clear those engaged these actions will face justice."
What Happens Next
Charges against Radovanovic remain pending, and online court records show he has not yet appeared in court in Washington, D.C.
Szabo is set to be sentenced on October 23 by U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson in the nation's capital.
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Sen. Shane Reeves, R-Murfreesboro, received a $1 million grant from the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development to start a business which has since received a tax rebate from the state. (Photo: John Partipilo/Tennessee Lookout) Thirteen of Tennessee's 33 senators declared a conflict of interest before voting on a $1.9 billion business tax break in 2024, including one whose companies reaped the benefits of the cut and a prior state grant. Two years before winning the seat in 2018, Republican Sen. Shane Reeves of Murfreesboro received a million-dollar FastTrack grant from the state Department of Economic and Community Development when he opened TwelveStone Health Partners in Rutherford County in 2016. The company invested nearly $15 million to create 200 jobs for the packaged medication, healthcare services and medication equipment company. A pharmacist by trade, Reeves started the business after he and his former business partner, Rick Sain, sold Reeves-Sain Drugstore and EnTrustRx, a specialty pharmacy business, to Fred's Inc. for $66 million. TwelveStone has expanded several times over nine years, opening infusion centers in multiple locations, including Virginia and Georgia. Senators declaring a conflict of interest with tax rebate bill: Paul Bailey, R-Sparta Ferrell Haile, R-Gallatin Joey Hensley, R-Hohenwald Jack Johnson, R-Franklin Adam Lowe, R-Calhoun Jon Lundberg, R-Bristol (no longer in office) Bill Powers, R-Clarksville Kerry Roberts, R-Springfield Paul Rose, R-Covington John Stevens, R-Huntingdon Page Walley, R-Savannah Bo Watson, R-Hixson Dawn White, R-Murfreesboro Ken Yager, R-Kingston Nearly a decade later, TwelveStone Health Partners and TwelveStone Holdings are two of 16,000 Tennessee businesses receiving a franchise tax refund of more than $10,000 after Republican lawmakers pushed the measure backed by Gov. Bill Lee through the legislature last year. Reeves told the Lookout this week that TwelveStone met all requirements for receiving the 2016 grant and now employs nearly 300 people. Asked whether he's concerned about the appearance of double-dipping, Reeves described himself as a 'part-time citizen legislator' the first four months of the year and chief executive officer of TwelveStone the rest of the time. 'My job is to do what's best for our company. I would never expect any more or less for my business than anyone else's,' Reeves said in a text statement. Chairman of the Senate Energy, Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee, Reeves said he is 'comfortable' with the reporting ranges in the refund law, calling them a 'fair compromise' for transparency. Listings on the state Department of Revenue website show categories for companies receiving refunds up to $750, between $750 and $10,000 and more than $10,000. The lists totaling 60,000 companies were posted May 31 and are to remain available to the public for 30 days. Senators were reluctant to publicize any of the companies when they took up the bill last year, passing it 25-6, with former Sen. Art Swann of Maryville the only Republican to vote in opposition. Two members did not vote. But the House demanded some form of transparency, though Democrats and public records advocates say the ranges aren't specific enough considering the amount of money rebated to some of the world's largest companies, including FedEx and 13 subsidiaries, Ford Motor Co. and AT&T. The House passed the measure 69-23, largely along party lines. The Tennessee Senate uses a policy called Rule 13 as part of its code of ethics that allows senators to declare a conflict of interest, without giving details, but allowing them to vote based on their conscience and obligation to constituents. The House has no rule requiring members to state a conflict of interest before votes that could affect them or their businesses financially. In addition to Reeves, Democratic Sen. Jeff Yarbro of Nashville, who voted against the tax cut and refund, declared Rule 13 before last year's vote. World's top businesses, Lee Company receive biggest Tennessee tax rebates Yarbro told the Lookout this week he pulled out of the partnership track at Bass, Berry & Sims law firm so he wouldn't be part of its financial decisions. 'I'm not opposed to any business or citizen taking a refund from the government. Who wouldn't? If I qualified for a refund, I'd take it. But I still think it's bad public policy,' Yarbro said in a statement to the Lookout. Yarbro added that, while he felt the bill ran contrary to public interest, he understood it would benefit many businesses in his Senate district, including the firm where he works, thus he declared the potential conflict of interest before the vote. Yarbro and state Rep. John Ray Clemmons of Nashville also proposed a bill they said would enable the state's franchise tax law to withstand constitutional muster without making rebates. Republican leaders declined to consider it. When the matter arose last year, the Department of Revenue told lawmakers it received a challenge to the state's franchise tax on business property, leading most to say the tax cut and refund was justified in averting an expensive legal fight. Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti also advised lawmakers to avoid litigation. Other key legislators such as House Majority Leader William Lamberth of Portland said the reductions were simply good tax policy and not necessarily based on concern about a legal threat. No lawsuit was filed against the state in advance of the vote. Republican Sen. Brent Taylor, former owner of Brentwood Funeral Services in Shelby County, voted for the measure last year after declaring Rule 13 but didn't apply for the tax refund. 'I just didn't think it was appropriate for me to have voted for the franchise tax cut and then go out and benefit from it, because I knew I'd have reporters … calling and wanting to know if I thought it was appropriate to take the refund and also vote for it,' Taylor said.
