Justice Department charges two foreign nationals in major swatting scheme

The Justice Department on Wednesday unveiled a grand jury indictment against two European men accused of swatting dozens of members of Congress over a four year period.

Members of Congress have seen a surge in swatting incidents in recent years. Swatting is when an individual calls 911 to report a knowingly false crime in order to trigger a massive police presence at the residence or business.

The department charged 26-year-old Romanian Thomasz Szabo, and 21-year-old Nemanja Radovanovic of Serbia with 34 counts related to the alleged harassment scheme. 

The charges are one count of conspiracy each, 29 counts each of threats and false information regarding explosives, and four counts of transmitting threats in interstate and foreign commerce each. 

“Swatting is not a victimless prank—it endangers real people, wastes precious police resources, and inflicts significant emotional trauma,” U.S. Attorney Matthew Graves said in a statement. “We will use every tool at our disposal to find the perpetrators and hold them accountable, no matter where they might be.”

The men are accused of targeting 61 public officials, and 40 private individuals. The officials include senior executive branch members, House and Senate members, and senior federal law enforcement officials and state officials. 

They also allegedly targeted one university, four businesses, and four religious institutions with bomb threats.

The names of the alleged victims have not been released. But former GOP Wisconsin Rep. Mike Gallagher, Ohio Democratic Rep. Shontel Brown, Georgia GOP Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, and New York conservative Rep. Brandon Williams are among the lawmakers who have reported swatting incidents in the past year, per Politico.

The alleged plots began no later than December of 2020, and concluded in January 2024. 

Misty Severi is an evening news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.