Rio Verde man faces up to 10 years after pleading guilty to threatening federal officials

A Rio Verde man faces up to a decade in federal prison after pleading guilty to threatening federal officials and public servants.

The U.S. Department of Justice announced on Wednesday that 37-year-old Michael Lee Tomasi pleaded guilty on Tuesday to making threats against federal officials.

The agency said that, between May 2021 to November 2023, Tomasi shared desires to incite violence and threatened various people over social media in Arizona and Colorado, including a city district attorney, a state court judge, a member of Congress and other federal officials and law enforcement officers.

The DOJ highlighted one such post made on Aug. 26, 2023, in which Tomasi threatened to fatally shoot any FBI agents who visited his home.

“Threats of violence against elected officials, judges, and FBI agents pose immense danger to the physical safety of individual victims and undermine our very system of government,” Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a written statement. “The Justice Department will hold to account anyone who targets public servants with illegal threats of violence.”

U.S. Attorney Gary Restaino who represents the DOJ's Arizona district echoed Garland's sentiments that such threats need to be taken seriously and come with serious consequences.

"This disgruntled defendant threatened officials from all three branches of government,” Restaino said. “Moreover, he was prepared to carry out his threats: when arrested he had a loaded handgun in his vehicle, as well as other firearms and body armor in his home. The prosecution of threats offenses makes Americans safer.”

Tomasi is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 23 in federal court where he faces a maximum sentence of 10 years.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Rio Verde man faces up to 10 years after pleading guilty to threatening federal officials