A man who told Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) he’d pay somebody $500 to “take a baseball bat and crack your skull” has pleaded guilty to making threatening phone calls.
Joseph Morelli, 51, from upstate New York, admitted making several calls to Greene’s Washington, D.C., office in March 2022, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of New York said in a statement.
In one voicemail, Morelli said, “I’m gonna hurt you. Physically, I’m gonna harm you.” In another, he said that he would “make sure that, even if they lock me up, someone’s gonna get you ’cause I’ll pay them to,” prosecutors said.
He was charged with transmitting interstate threatening communications and faces up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. He is due to be sentenced on June 1.
Greene has been a controversial figure since being elected to Congress in 2020. She’s known for espousing right-wing views and sharing conspiracy theories.
