Inside of Jail. TFP File Photo An Arizona man has been sentenced to 15 months in prison and 36 months of supervised release after he pleaded guilt
An Arizona man has been sentenced to 15 months in prison and 36 months of supervised release after he pleaded guilty to making threats against public officials.
Michael Lee Tomasi, 38, of Rio Verde, Arizona, was also ordered to forfeit an assault rifle, handgun, shotgun, gun magazines, and thousands of rounds of ammunition. His guilty plea was entered on August 13, 2024.
Between May 2021 and November 2023, while residing in Colorado and Arizona, Tomasi used social media to incite violence and issue threats against various individuals and groups. Among his targets were a city district attorney, a state court judge, a member of Congress, FBI agents, and other federal and local law enforcement officers.
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Tomasi admitted to posting a specific threat on August 26, 2023, where he encouraged violence against FBI agents.
His message included: “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.”
“After making vile threats to execute and sexually assault FBI agents and employees, state and local law enforcement officials, and other public servants, Michael Tomasi told the FBI to ‘come to my house and see what happens’ – what has happened is that he will spend 15 months in federal prison,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “I am grateful to the brave public servants of the FBI for bringing this defendant to justice and for the difficult and dangerous work they do every day to keep the American people safe.”
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“Threatening law enforcement officers and other public officials will not be tolerated, whether it involves our own FBI personnel, police officers patrolling their communities, or government officials carrying out their work,” said FBI Director Christopher Wray. “I take it very personally that anyone would threaten FBI personnel who work tirelessly to protect the American people from a variety of threats and often put themselves in harm’s way while carrying out their duties. We will continue to work with our partners to hold accountable those who threaten violence against law enforcement officers and other public servants.”
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Raymond K. Woo and Abbie Broughton Marsh of the District of Arizona led the prosecution, with support from Trial Attorney Dmitriy Slavin of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section.
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