A chilling campaign of terror, orchestrated from thousands of miles away, has ended with a four-year prison sentence for Thomasz Szabo, a 27-year-old Romanian national. Szabo admitted to unleashing a barrage of false emergency calls and bomb threats against the highest levels of U.S. government, targeting members of Congress, Cabinet officials, federal judges, and law enforcement leaders.
Under the online aliases “Plank,” “Jonah,” and “Cypher,” Szabo spearheaded a disturbing plot that began in 2018 with online trolling. By 2020, this evolved into a dangerous spree of “swatting” – the malicious act of fabricating emergencies to trigger overwhelming police responses at the homes of unsuspecting targets.
The scope of the attacks was staggering. Court documents reveal Szabo directed associates to target individuals across the political spectrum, instructing them to select victims from both the Democratic and Republican parties in December 2023. The intent wasn’t political persuasion, but pure, calculated chaos.
Alongside Nemanja Radovanovic of Serbia and Alan Filion, Szabo’s network allegedly targeted at least 25 members of Congress and their families, alongside numerous state and federal officials. Each hoax call diverted critical resources, potentially delaying responses to genuine emergencies.
Prosecutors painted a grim picture of the consequences, detailing how police departments were repeatedly “hijacked” and dispatched to nonexistent crises. The perpetrators openly boasted of the disruption they caused, claiming to have inflicted “massive havoc” and wasted over half a million dollars in taxpayer money in just two days.
The gravity of “swatting” was underscored by U.S. Capitol Police Chief Michael Sullivan, who emphasized it’s “not just a nuisance – it’s extremely dangerous.” The investigation spanned continents, culminating in Szabo’s extradition from Romania in November 2024 to face justice in an American courtroom.
Alan Filion, who made approximately 375 swatting calls between August 2022 and January 2024, was also sentenced to four years in prison earlier in 2025. The case against Radovanovic remains ongoing, a stark reminder that the full extent of this disturbing network is still being uncovered.
The sentencing serves as a powerful message: those who attempt to undermine public safety and terrorize public servants, regardless of their location, will be held accountable. It’s a testament to the dedication of law enforcement agencies and prosecutors determined to protect the institutions and individuals who serve the nation.
