2 Eastern Europeans charged with 'swatting' U.S. officials, Congress: DOJ

Source: USA Today

Published 1:31 p.m. ET Aug. 28, 2024 | Updated 1:31 p.m. ET Aug. 28, 2024


WASHINGTON – Two foreigners from Romania and Serbia have been indicted for allegedly “swatting” more than 100 victims including members of Congress and Cabinet-level officials by reporting fake bomb threats or other emergencies, including at the Capitol, the Justice Department announced Wednesday.

Thomasz Szabo, 26, of Romania, and Nemanja Radovanovic, 21, of Serbia, are each charged with one count of conspiracy, 29 counts of threats and false information regarding explosives, and four counts of transmitting threats in interstate and foreign commerce. The case represents another example of threats public officials are increasingly enduring.

The Justice Department created a task force to combat threats against election officials, which spiked after former President Donald Trump falsely alleged the 2020 election was stolen from him. Capitol Police reported in January that threats against lawmakers rose to 8,008 last year from 5,206 in 2018. A grand jury handed up an indictment against the two men in August 2022 but kept it sealed in an attempt to arrest the foreigners. The indictment was unsealed Tuesday.

Szabo and Radonovanovic were allegedly part of a larger conspiracy from December 2020 to January 2024 to obtain home and business addresses for victims. The defendants then falsely reported killings, kidnappings or attempted suicides to spark an emergency response, including from police SWAT teams, according to the indictment.

Read more: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2024/08/28/justice-department-charges-swatting-capitol/74982548007/