The Department of Justice (DOJ) has charged two foreign nationals with conspiring to carry out a swatting operation against high-ranking government officials.
Romanian Thomasz Szabo, 26, and Serbian Nemanja Radovanovic, 21, have been charged with one count of conspiracy, 29 counts of making bomb threats, and four counts of making threats in connection with interstate and foreign commerce, the DOJ said in an Aug. 28 press release.
From 2020 to 2024, Szabo and Radovanovic allegedly used the personal information such as the home addresses of their victims to make false reports of emergencies and thus provoke law enforcement to respond.
Szabo was allegedly the administrator of a chat group in which the co-conspirators planned out their swatting strategies, using monikers such as “War Lord,” “Kollectivist,” and “Mortenberg Shekelstorms.”
The indictment further alleges that the defendants made swatting attempts against up to 61 state and executive branch officials, members of Congress, and senior officials in federal law enforcement agencies.
The defendants also attempted to swat 40 private victims, including four businesses, four religious institutions, and one university, the DOJ said.
“Swatting is not a victimless prank—it endangers real people, wastes precious police resources, and inflicts significant emotional trauma,” said U.S. Attorney Matthew Graves. “We will use every tool at our disposal to find the perpetrators and hold them accountable, no matter where they might be.”
‘Not a Victimless Prank’
In January, William McFarland, sergeant-at-arms for the House of Representatives, sent a letter to the spouses of members of Congress to warn them about an increase in swatting incidents.“For those not familiar, swatting typically involves an unknown call placed to 9-1-1 claiming that there is an ongoing emergency, or that a violent crime has occurred,” he wrote in the Jan. 30 letter. “In a ’swatting' call, the caller falsely claims that they are a Member or associated with the Member and provides the Member’s home address. The goal of swatting is to initiate an emergency response, such as a SWAT team responding to the Member residence, creating a tense and volatile situation.”
The first sign of a swatting attempt is frequently the appearance of law enforcement at one’s home in preparation for an emergency.
McFarland said he would be launching an investigation into the swatting attempts.
Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) and Brandon Williams (R-N.Y.) were among the lawmakers reportedly swatted between 2023 and 2024.
Also in January, Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.)—who also reported a swatting—introduced the Preserving Safe Communities by Ending Swatting Act, which if passed would increase penalties for swatting.
“Last month, criminals attempted a ‘swatting’ on my home in Florida in a despicable act of cowardice, clearly intending to terrorize my family and inflict fear and violence,” he said in a press release. “This is happening around the nation, not just to elected officials, but also to hundreds of Jewish institutions. It’s sickening, dangerous and we must stop it.”
He thanked law enforcement for their “incredible work” in keeping the nation safe when they put their lives on the line every day.
“They shouldn’t be put in danger and have their time and resources wasted because of these disgusting hoaxes,” he said.
Katabella Roberts contributed to this report.
