Yesterday, in Phoenix, Arizona, United States District Judge Dominic W. Lanza sentenced Michael Lee Tomasi to 15 months in prison and 36 months of supervised release. Tomasi, a 38-year-old resident of Rio Verde, was also ordered to forfeit an assault rifle, handgun, shotgun, gun magazines, and thousands of rounds of ammunition. He pleaded guilty on August 13, 2024, to one count of making threats against public officials.
Attorney General Merrick B. Garland commented on the case: “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.” Garland expressed gratitude towards the FBI for their work in bringing Tomasi to justice.
FBI Director Christopher Wray stated: “Threatening law enforcement officers and other public officials will not be tolerated... We will continue to work with our partners to hold accountable those who threaten violence against law enforcement officers and other public servants.”
United States Attorney Gary Restaino emphasized the importance of civil discourse: “Civil discourse and civic dialogue are fundamental to a democratic society... We will continue our efforts to prosecute those who make true threats against public officials and law enforcement officers.”
Between May 2021 and November 2023, while residing in Colorado and Arizona, Tomasi used social media to incite violence against various individuals including a city district attorney, a state court judge, a member of Congress, as well as federal officials and law enforcement officers. On August 26, 2023, he posted a threat aimed at FBI agents stating: “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.”
The Federal Bureau of Investigation led the investigation into this case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Raymond K. Woo and Abbie Broughton Marsh from the District of Arizona prosecuted the case with assistance from Trial Attorney Dmitriy Slavin from the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section.
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