by Michelle Baruchman at AJC
A Romanian man charged with making dozens of hoax bomb threats and false emergency reports targeting American citizens, including officials in Georgia, entered into a plea agreement Monday in federal court in Washington, D.C.
Thomasz Szabo, 26, pleaded guilty to leading a yearslong effort, along with coconspirators, to bring an armed police response to government buildings, houses of worship and private residences where no emergency existed, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. The bogus calls ― known as “swatting” — targeted about 40 private citizens and 61 public officials between December 2023 and early January 2024.
In Georgia, at least four state senators, Lt. Gov. Burt Jones and U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene were targeted in December with fake 911 calls to their homes.
Szabo, who was extradited from Romania in November 2024, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy, which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison. He also pleaded guilty to one count of threats involving explosives, which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.
He is scheduled to be sentenced in federal court on Oct. 23…
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