Romanian national learns fate for swatting US officials including members of Congress, judges

A Romanian national who admitted to participating in a series of swatting calls and bomb threats targeting U.S. government officials — including members of Congress, Cabinet-level officials, federal judges and heads of federal law enforcement agencies — was sentenced Wednesday to four years in prison.

Federal prosecutors asked the judge to impose a five-year sentence for Thomasz Szabo, 27, who pleaded guilty last June to conspiracy and threat charges.

U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson presided over the case in Washington, D.C. Szabo, who used the online aliases “Plank,” “Jonah,” and “Cypher,” pleaded guilty on June 2, 2025, to one count of conspiracy and one count of threats involving explosives, according to the Justice Department.

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“This administration will not tolerate attacks on the institutions and individuals who serve this country,” said U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro. “Szabo was extradited from Romania to face justice in an American courtroom, and today he has reaped the consequences of his actions.”

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.”

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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 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. 

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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.