WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — A Florida man was sentenced to two years in prison after threatening to kill a U.S. congressman and his children, authorities said.
Michael Shapiro, 73, called and left five voicemails to U.S. Rep. Eric Swalwell's office in Washington, D.C., from his home in Greenacres, Florida. In three of the messages, Shapiro threatened to kill him and his children, the U.S. Department of Justice said.
In one of the voicemails, Shapiro said, “I’m gonna come and kill your children you mother-f*****. I'm gonna kill your children," according to a news release.
Shapiro left the voicemails on Dec. 19, 2023, and was arrested in Greenacres on Jan. 3, 2024. He pleaded guilty to transmitting threatening communications on May 17 and was sentenced Aug. 6 to two years in prison.
A criminal complaint reported the threatening voicemails, getting Shapiro arrested on a $250,000 bond. The complaint didn't name Swalwell, but the California Congressman confirmed it in a social media post the day Shapiro was arrested.
“No threat is going to stop me from representing my constituents,” Swalwell said in the post. “MAGA Republicans have chosen violence over voting and this is what it looks like."
Shapiro also accused Swalwell of being a Chinese spy despite multiple investigations revealing no evidence, according to The Associated Press. Christine Fang, a suspected spy, came into contact with Swalwell's campaign in 2012 and participated in fundraising in 2014. After federal investigators alerted Swalwell of their concerns, he said he cut off contact with her, according to AP.
The complaint also reported that Shapiro pleaded guilty in federal court in 2019 for making threatening communications to another person, according to AP.
