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 group’s callous disregard for public safety. They boasted of creating “massive havoc in America,” claiming to have wasted over half a million dollars in taxpayer money in just two days with their relentless stream of false alarms.
The consequences extended beyond financial costs. Law enforcement agencies were repeatedly “hijacked,” their personnel and resources needlessly deployed to fictitious emergencies. This created a dangerous situation, stretching resources thin and potentially jeopardizing real-time responses to actual crises.
Szabo’s capture and extradition from Romania in November 2024 marked a significant victory for U.S. authorities. The case underscores the global reach of online crime and the determination of law enforcement to pursue justice across international borders.
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. Nemanja Radovanovic’s case remains ongoing, a stark reminder that the full extent of this disturbing network is still being uncovered.
The sentencing serves as a powerful warning: swatting is not a harmless prank. It’s a dangerous, potentially deadly crime that carries severe consequences, and authorities are prepared to pursue perpetrators relentlessly, no matter where they hide.
