Charlotte man enters guilty plea for making false bomb threat at State Capitol, other charges dismissed
LANSING — Charlotte resident Michael Varrone, 50, pleaded guilty Thursday to making a threatening phone call to the Michigan Capitol Jan. 7, 2021, the day after the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.
Varrone and his lawyers, from Coontz Law, entered a plea deal with the Michigan Attorney General's Office to a charge of making a false bomb report, in exchange for dropping two terrorism charges against him.
Ingham County 30th Circuit Judge James Jamo accepted the plea deal, records show. Varrone is scheduled to appear in court for sentencing on July 27, 2022.
Varrone was arraigned Jan. 8, 2021, in Lansing's 54A District Court on two terrorism charges and one count of making a false bomb report. The case was bound over to Ingham County Circuit Court Aug. 19, 2021.
In addition to making the bomb threat, Varrone had been charged with terrorism for allegedly threatening to kill Rep. Cynthia Johnson, D-Detroit, and her family during a phone call Dec. 12, 2020.
Requests for comment with Coontz Law and the Attorney General's office were not immediately returned.
Why is Varrone in court?
State Police arrested Varrone Jan. 7, 2021, after he told an operator they needed to evacuate the Capitol because of an impending explosion.
He made the call a day after insurrectionists attacked the U.S. Capitol in an attempt to prevent Congress' certification of the 2020 presidential election and help former President Donald Trump maintain power.
A month prior to that call, Varrone called Johnson's office threatening to kill her and her family. He identified himself and spelt his name in a voicemail left with her legislative office.
The call was referred to the Michigan State Police, according to the Free Press.
Johnson's impact statement
Not everyone is satisfied with the outcome of the case. Johnson posted a statement to her Facebook page.
The Detroit lawmaker wrote that the system "failed Black people and women once again," as a result of the plea agreement. She wrote that no one from the court notified her about charges being dismissed against Varrone for threats against her family.
"You have no idea how this and the many thousands of threats I've received since Dec. 2, 2020, and I still shiver from knowing that my own government and its civil servants are complicit in dismissing Black people and women," Johnson wrote.
Johnson also wrote the deal was a "slap on the wrist" and a "slap in my face."
A request for comment with Johnson was not immediately returned.
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Contact reporter Krystal Nurse at (517) 267-1344 or knurse@lsj.com. Follow her on Twitter @KrystalRNurse.
This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Bomb threat against Michigan Capitol ends with guilty plea by man
