Florida man who threatened to kill California congressman and children sentenced to prison
WEST PALM BEACH — A judge sentenced a 73-year-old man to two years in federal prison Wednesday for leaving drunken voicemails threatening to kill a California congressman and his children.
According to investigators, Michael Shapiro left five voicemails in a span of 30 minutes with U.S. Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-California, in December. He threatened in one to "come after you and kill you," and in another to "kill your children." A staff member in Swalwell's office reported the voicemails the following day to Capitol Police, who traced the phone number to Shapiro's condominium in Greenacres.
Shapiro told investigators he remembered calling the office once but did not remember threatening the congressman. After hearing one of his voicemails played aloud, Shapiro said he sounded “like a drunk man” and asked the agents to pass along his apology to Swalwell.
Shapiro apologized again during a two-hour sentencing hearing in Fort Lauderdale on Wednesday. He said previously that he became upset by reports that Swalwell was engaged in a sexual relationship with Chinese spy Christine Fang, allegations that were the subject of a House Ethics Committee probe.
Shapiro said he called Swalwell to confront him about the rumored affair but did not intend to harm him.
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In court filings, Assistant Public Defender Kristy Militello said Shapiro had neither the intent nor the means to carry out the threat. Shapiro did not plan to travel to California to confront Swalwell, she said, nor did he own a firearm or try to get one.
Militello and Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Dispoto disagreed over whether Shapiro's conduct should be considered multiple, deliberate threats or one drunken episode. The prosecutor said the former was true and pointed to Shapiro's history of threatening public officials.
Shapiro pleaded guilty in 2020 for threatening to kill a U.S. Capitol Police officer who was investigating him for threatening to kill a different congressman before that. Three years later, and days before he threatened to kill Swalwell, investigators said Shapiro left three voicemails vowing to kill members of the Michigan chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations.
U.S. District Judge David Leibowitz denied Militello's request to sentence Shapiro below the federal sentencing guidelines on Wednesday. The judge sentenced him instead to two years in prison and ordered Shapiro to be participate in mental-health and substance-abuse evaluation and treatment.
Shapiro, who worked as an attorney in New York before a bribery and fraud scandal prompted his disbarment in the 1990s, still awaits the resolution of his threats case in Michigan. If convicted, he could be sentenced to 10 years in prison for each of the three counts against him.
Hannah Phillips covers criminal justice at The Palm Beach Post. You can reach her at hphillips@pbpost.com. Help support our journalism and subscribe today.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Florida man who threatened California congressman and kids sentenced
