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A Romanian citizen who confessed to taking part in a string of swatting incidents and bomb threats aimed at U.S. government figures, including Congress members, top Cabinet officials, federal judges, and leaders of federal law enforcement agencies, was handed a four-year prison term on Wednesday.
Federal prosecutors had recommended a five-year sentence for Thomasz Szabo, 27, who last June admitted to charges of conspiracy and making threats.
U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson oversaw the proceedings in Washington, D.C. Szabo, known online by the pseudonyms “Plank,” “Jonah,” and “Cypher,” confessed on June 2, 2025, to charges including conspiracy and making threats involving explosives, as stated by the Justice Department.
Jeanine Pirro, the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, announced the sentencing of Thomasz Szabo, 27, from Romania, for orchestrating swatting calls that targeted Congress members and other government officials. (Nathan Howard/Reuters, File)
“This administration stands firm against any attacks on the institutions and individuals dedicated to serving our nation,” declared Jeanine Pirro, U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia. “Szabo was brought from Romania to face justice in a U.S. court, and today he faces the repercussions of his deeds.”
Swatting — the act of making hoax threats to provoke a tactical law enforcement response at a target’s home — has become a prolific form of harassment in recent years and poses an increasing public safety hazard.
“Swatting is not just a nuisance — it’s extremely dangerous,” said U.S. Capitol Police Chief Michael Sullivan. “I am proud of our investigators, as well as thankful for our prosecutors and law enforcement partners for their steadfast efforts to ensure justice is served. This shows that we will cross the globe to track threats down.”
Court documents state that beginning in 2018, Szabo organized online chat servers in Romania centered around “trolling.”
Capitol police officers chat on the steps of the Capitol in Washington, D.C. (Kylie Cooper/Reuters, File)
By 2020, prosecutors say he began his swatting campaign. Also charged in the scheme is Nemanja Radovanovic of Serbia.
In December 2023, Szabo instructed his associates to choose targets from both the Democratic and Republican parties.
Radovanovic and an associate, Alan Filion, allegedly targeted at least 25 members of Congress or their relatives, along with dozens of other state and federal officials.
“Over and over, police departments and other first responders were hijacked by the defendant and deployed to fictitious emergencies,” prosecutors wrote. “As a result, fewer personnel and resources were available to respond to real emergencies.”
The U.S. Capitol building is shown in Washington, D.C. A Romanian man admitted to participating in a series of “swatting” calls that targeted 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, stating, “I did 25+ swatting [calls] today,” and claimed they created “massive havoc in America” with “$500,000+ in taxpayer [dollars] wasted in just two days.”
Szabo was extradited from Romania in November 2024.
Filion, who was 18 at the time of his sentencing in February 2025, also received four years in prison after pleading guilty to making approximately 375 swatting calls between August 2022 and January 2024.
Radovanovic’s case is still pending, according to officials.
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