Federal prosecutors announced this week that a New York man had pleaded guilty to making threatening phone calls to Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s House office in Washington.
Joseph F. Morelli, 51, of Endicott, admitted Wednesday to leaving a series of disturbing voicemail messages in March of last year.
“I’m gonna have to take your life into my own hands … I’m gonna hurt you. Physically, I’m gonna harm you,” Morelli said in a menacing message he left on March 3, 2022, according to prosecutors.
A second voicemail message left by Morelli that same day said, in part, “I’m gonna have to show you, to your face, right up front, what violence truly is, and I don’t think you’re gonna like it … I can pay someone 500 bucks to take a baseball bat and crack your skull … You are going to get f–king physically hurt.”
“You’re gonna cause people to get hurt, so I’m gonna have to hurt you physically … I’m gonna make sure that, even if they lock me up, someone’s gonna get you ‘cause I’ll pay them to,” a third voicemail left by Morelli said.
The case was investigated by the FBI and US Capitol Police.
Morelli will be sentenced on June 1 and faces up to five years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and a term of supervised release of up to three years.
In December, US Capitol Police Chief Thomas Manger told the Senate Rules Committee that more than 9,000 threats against members of Congress had been recorded in 2022.
In a tweet last year, Greene claimed that she has been the victim of several “swatting” episodes.
Greene tweeted that on Aug. 26, 2022, police were called to her Georgia home after someone made a prank call to officials saying there was an emergency there.
“I was swatted for the 6th time last night,” Greene wrote on Twitter, adding that “Swatting is a very serious crime. The caller wants to have their victim murdered by police. But it is also a giant abuse of police resources and time, which is another reason it is a serious crime. God bless my local police.”
