A Broome County man who was arrested last year for allegedly making threats against a member of the U.S. House of Representatives has pleaded guilty.
Joseph F. Morelli, 51, of Oak Hill Road in Endicott, pleaded guilty in federal court Wednesday to making threatening phone calls from his home to a voicemail in the office of U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Georgia.
FBI agents, assisted by Endicott police officers, took Morelli into custody without incident March 16, 2022, after a raid on a northside apartment.
Morelli was charged with transmitting interstate threatening communications, according to a criminal complaint filed by the FBI.
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As part of his guilty plea, Morelli admitted on March 3, 2022, he placed a telephone call to the Washington, D.C. office of Greene that said in part, "I'm gonna have to take your life into my own hands… I'm gonna hurt you. Physically, I'm gonna harm you."
A second voicemail message March 3, 2022, said in part, "I'm gonna have to show you, to your face, right up front, what violence truly is, and I don't think you're gonna like it.… I can pay someone 500 bucks to take a baseball bat and crack your skull. …You are going to get f**king physically hurt."
A third voicemail message on March 3, 2022, included, "you're gonna cause people to get hurt, so I'm gonna have to hurt you physically. … I'm gonna make sure that, even if they lock me up, someone's gonna get you 'cause I'll pay them to."
Moretti is scheduled to be sentenced June 1. He faces up to 5 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and a term of supervised release of up to 3 years.
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This article originally appeared on Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin: Endicott man pleads guilty to threatening Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene
