December 2, 2024 – Arizona – Michael Lee Tomasi, 38, of Rio Verde, Arizona, was sentenced on Monday, November 25, 2024, to 15 months in prison and 36 months of supervised release for making online threats against public servants, including federal officials. In addition, Tomasi was ordered to forfeit an assault rifle, handgun, shotgun, gun magazines, and thousands of rounds of ammunition.
Tomasi pleaded guilty to one count of making threats against public officials on August 13, 2024.
“After making vile threats to execute and sexually assault FBI agents 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 dangerous work they do every day to protect the American public.”
FBI Director Christopher Wray also condemned the threats, stating, “Threatening law enforcement officers and public officials will not be tolerated, whether it involves our FBI personnel or local officers. We will continue to hold accountable those who threaten violence against those protecting the public.”
U.S. Attorney for the District of Arizona, Gary Restaino, emphasized, “Civil discourse is vital in a democratic society, but inciting violence is not. We will prosecute those who make true threats against public officials and law enforcement.”
From May 2021 through November 2023, while residing in Colorado and Arizona, Tomasi used social media to express a desire to incite violence against various individuals and groups, including a city district attorney, a state court judge, a member of Congress, and other federal officials and law enforcement officers.
Tomasi pleaded guilty to posting a threatening message on August 26, 2023, in which he wrote: “Shoot the FBI first and ask questions later… Any FBI [agents] 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 investigated the case, with Assistant U.S. Attorneys Raymond K. Woo and Abbie Broughton Marsh prosecuting, and Trial Attorney Dmitriy Slavin of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section providing assistance.
