A Florida man was sentenced to two years in prison this week for threatening to kill California state Rep. Eric Swalwell and his children, federal prosecutors said.
Michael Shapiro, 73, was arrested in January Regarding the threats contained in voicemails left at Swalwell’s office on December 19.
The U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida said in one of the calls, “I’m going to come after you and kill you,” and in another, “I’m going to come and kill your children.” a statement on Thursday.
Court records show Shapiro referred to Swalwell as a “Chinese spy” in some of the five voice messages.
Shapiro was sentenced in federal court on Wednesday. He pleaded guilty on May 17 to transmitting threatening communications.
Shapiro claimed the threatening calls were made during a “lone drunken episode.” His defense attorney said he made the threats after a night of heavy drinking, according to court documents.
“Mr. Shapiro stated during the interview that he recalled calling the office only once, but that he was intoxicated and did not recall making any threats,” Shapiro’s attorney wrote in a pre-sentence motion.
Prosecutors countered that Shapiro has made threatening comments to government officials in the past, including in 2019 when he called the U.S. Capitol Police’s Threat Assessment Unit and said, “I’m going to kill you.”
He also threatened another US representative in January 2019. He was charged and pleaded guilty and sentenced to three years of probation, according to court documents.
“These threats are clearly part of a pattern of behavior in which Shapiro has threatened and intimidated government officials,” prosecutors wrote in the indictment against Swalwell regarding the threats.