New York man sentenced to prison for threatening to kill congressional staffers

A New York man was sentenced Tuesday to more than a year in prison for threatening to kill a congressional staff member and making more than 12,000 harassing calls to dozens of members.

Ade Salim Lilly, 35, was handed a 13-month prison sentence and 36 months of release in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., federal prosecutors announced.

Lilly pleaded guilty in May to threatening to kidnap or injure someone on interstate commerce and repeated harassing telephone calls.

Lilly made more than 12,000 telephone calls to about 54 members of Congress across the nation, both to their state and D.C. offices from February 2022 to November 2023, according to court documents .

While on the calls with staff members, Lilly “would become angry and use vulgar and harassing language” toward them, per court filings. Staff repeatedly asked him to refrain from calling, and the U.S. Capitol Police also informed him that his phone calls were unwanted and prohibited by law as they were harassing in nature.

In one call in October 2022 to a Maryland congressional office, Lilly allegedly told a staffer, “I will kill you, I am going to run you over, I will kill you with a bomb or grenade.”

To hide his phone number, Lilly used “*67,” prosecutors said.

Following an investigation by Capitol Police and the U.S. Marshals Service, Lilly was indicted, and agents were sent to arrest him in Puerto Rico in November 2023.

“We will enforce the law anytime someone crosses the line — from free speech to harassment or threats,” U.S. Capitol Police Chief Thomas Manger said in a statement. “Our investigators worked to build this complicated case for years, which shows their dedication to protect the Members of Congress.”

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