PHOENIX — An Arizona man who told the FBI to "come to [his] house and see what happens" has been sentenced to 15 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release.
Michael Tomasi, a 38-year-old resident of Rio Verde, Arizona, was previously arrested for making social media threats against federal officials and other public servants and pleaded guilty in August. He was sentenced Monday, the U.S. Department of Justice announced.
"Civil discourse and civic dialogue are fundamental to a democratic society," said U.S. Attorney Gary Restaino for the District of Arizona. "But the incitement of violence is not: we will continue our efforts to prosecute those who make true threats against public officials and law enforcement officers."
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Tomasi threatened people including a city district attorney, a state court judge, a member of Congress and other federal officials and law enforcement officers.
In particular, he pleaded guilty to posting a threat to kill FBI agents, the DOJ said. In August 2023, Tomasi posted: "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."
The FBI handled the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Raymond K. Woo and Abbie Broughton Marsh for the District of Arizona prosecuted the case, the DOJ said.
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