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A Romanian citizen who pleaded guilty to a series of phone calls and bomb threats against US government officials – including members of Congress, Cabinet-level officials, federal judges and heads of law enforcement agencies – was sentenced Wednesday to four years in prison.
Prosecutors asked the judge to hand down a five-year sentence for Thomasz Szabo, 27, who pleaded guilty last June to conspiracy and threats.
US District Judge Amy Berman Jackson presided over the case in Washington, DC Szabo, who used the online aliases “Plank,” “Jonah” and “Cypher,” pleaded guilty on June 2, 2025, to one count of conspiracy and one count of making threats involving fireworks, according to the Justice Department.
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US Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro announced the four-year sentence for Thomasz Szabo, 27, from Romania, in a series of calls to members of Congress and other government officials. (Nathan Howard/Reuters, File)
“This administration will not tolerate attacks on the institutions and people who serve this country,” said US Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro. “Szabo was extradited from Romania to face justice in an American court, and today he has reaped the consequences of his actions.”
Swatting – the act of making false threats to provoke a tactical law enforcement response at a target’s home – has become an increasingly common form of harassment in recent years and poses an increasing risk to public safety.
“Swiping is not just a nuisance – it’s very dangerous,” said US Capitol Police Chief Michael Sullivan. “I am proud of our investigators, and I thank our prosecutors and law enforcement partners for their efforts to ensure that justice is served. This shows that we will travel the globe to track down threats.”
Court documents say that starting in 2018, Szabo organized online chat servers in Romania that focused on “traveling”.
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Capitol Police officers chat on the steps of the Capitol in Washington, DC (Kylie Cooper/Reuters, File)
In 2020, prosecutors say he began his impeachment campaign. Also charged in the scheme is Serbia’s Nemanja Radovanovic.
In December 2023, Szabo instructed his colleagues to choose the policies of both the Democratic and Republican parties.
Radovanovic and his partner, Alan Filion, allegedly targeted at least 25 members of Congress or their relatives, as well as dozens of other federal and state officials.
“Repeatedly, police departments and other first responders were hijacked by the defendant and dispatched to false emergencies,” prosecutors wrote. “As a result, fewer personnel and resources were available to respond to real emergencies.”
The US Capitol building is shown in Washington, DC A Romanian man admitted to participating in a series of “swim” calls directed at members of Congress, as well as other government officials. (Valerie Plesch/Bloomberg via Getty Images, File)
The pair reportedly bragged to Szabo about their exploits, saying, “I’ve done 25+ swatting [calls] today,” and they say they are creating “a huge mess in America” for “$500,000+ of taxpayer dollars [dollars] He was wasted in just two days.”
Szabo was deported from Romania in November 2024.
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Filion, who was 18 when he was sentenced in February 2025, also received four years in prison after pleading guilty to making 375 phone calls between August 2022 and January 2024.
Radovanovic’s case is pending, according to officials.
