VENICE, Fla. — A Venice man will spend the next 15 years in federal prison after making several threatening calls to members of Congress in 2020, a news release from the Department of Justice states.
According to the DOJ, 73-year-old Frank Anthony Pezzuto was found guilty of transmitting in interstate commerce three separate threatening communications to injure certain members of Congress back in November 2021. Pezzuto has also been ordered to pay a fine of $7,500.
Officials say he made three threatening calls within the first two months of 2020 from his home in Florida. Prosecutors say the calls took place on Jan. 25, 2020, Jan. 30, 2020, and Feb. 3, 2020.
In the first call, Pezzuto reportedly told Congressman E.S.'s office that he was coming to kill him. Days later, prosecutors say he told congressman A.S.'s office that he was a worker for the MS-13 gang and the group was coming their way to cut off his head.
In his final call, the DOJ says Pezzuto told Congresswoman I.O.'s office he was "going to kill her today."
The DOJ says Pezzuto concealed his phone number in each call, but Capitol Police were able to route each voicemail to a cell tower near his Florida home.
