Posted on 04/29/2026 3:13:07 PM PDT by CFW
Thomasz Szabo, 27, of Romania, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court to 48 months in prison for his role as leader of an online swatting ring that targeted more than 75 public officials, four religious institutions, and multiple journalists in a nationwide threat spree, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
Szabo, aka “Plank,” “Jonah,” and “Cypher,” pleaded guilty June 2, 2025, to one count of conspiracy and one count of threats involving explosives. In addition to the 48-month prison term, District Court Judge Amy Berman Jackson ordered Szabo to serve three years of supervised release. Federal prosecutors had requested a 57-month prison sentence.
[snip]
“Swatting is not just a nuisance – it’s extremely dangerous,” said U.S. Capitol Police Chief Michael Sullivan. “I am proud of our investigators, as well as thankful for our prosecutors and law enforcement partners for their steadfast efforts to ensure justice is served. This shows that we will cross the globe to track threats down.”
[snip]
Beginning on Dec. 24, 2023, and continuing through early January 2024, subordinate members of Szabo’s group perpetrated a spree of swatting and bomb threats that included, as its victims, at least 25 Members of Congress or family members of Members of Congress; at least six then-current or former senior U.S. Executive Branch officials, including multiple cabinet-level officials; at least 13 then-current or former senior federal law enforcement officials, including the heads of multiple federal law enforcement agencies; multiple members of the federal judiciary; at least 27 then-current or former state government officials or family members of such officials; at least four religious institutions; and multiple members of the media.
During that time period, one of those subordinates bragged to Szabo: “I did 25+ swattings today,” and “creating massive havoc in [A]merica. $500,000+ in taxpayers wasted in just two days.”
(Excerpt) Read more at justice.gov ...
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He should spend 10 or so years in prison rather than just 48 months. Hopefully though, word of his imprisonment will spread and others will think twice about repeating his actions.
I want the US to start getting redundant organs from such offenders. I’d let it take a year off their sentence.
They can get by with one lung, half a liver (it grows back), and one kidney (the remaining one swells and works pretty well).
I assume he was arrested by local authorities then flown over to the US .
Since he's a foreign national, he should never see a day outside of prison.
That’s creative thinking. Wouldn’t that make it great deterrent to crime?
>>They can get by with one lung, half a liver (it grows back), and one kidney
Why stop there? They only need one eye to see, one arm to wipe their butt...
The judge is an Obama appointee radical enough to have been assigned 45 of the Jan 6th cases. This must have been a painful decision for her.
Amazingly honest and proud of himself. A lot of American born Antifa, Dems and leftist protesters against ICE wouldn't have said that outright. Still true.
What a bizarre way to carry on. What was his motive? I have read the article but it does not exactly say. Apparently, he had a whole group of followers, all doing the same thing.
Swatting can and has gotten people killed. This slap on the wrist will do nothing to deter scumbags like this.
IMHO, swatting is attempted murder.
It should have the same ‘consequences’ attached.
Gypsies!
What? He should be hanged for this.
I agree. He should have been charged with attempted murder. In many of the instances, those swat teams came in loaded for bear and it wouldn’t have taken but one wrong move for the homeowner to be mowed down right where he stood.
It should also result in serious reform of police tactics. That someone CAN be “swatted” with such ludicrous harm is the absolute proof that the police have normalized savage tyranny. No prior record, no SWAT. Period. If the police see the active commission of a grave and potentially deadly crime, they can retreat and THEN call in SWAT.
Didn’t swat Biden , it was a bomb threat in his case.
Szabo and a co-conspirator, 21-year-old Serbian national Nemanja Radovanovic, allegedly targeted about 100 people, including members of Congress, governors, cabinet-level executive branch officials and state officials.
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