A Romanian man has pleaded guilty to orchestrating a swatting and bomb threat scheme aimed at intimidating nearly 100 individuals, including a former U.S. president and several members of Congress.
Thomasz Szabo, 26, entered the plea on Monday and now awaits sentencing scheduled for Oct. 23 before U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson in Washington, D.C.
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Szabo was extradited from Romania in November 2024. He was indicted alongside 21-year-old Nemanja Radovanovic of Serbia.
He admitted to one count of conspiracy and another of making bomb threats.
According to a federal indictment, Szabo and Radovanovic launched “swatting” calls designed to provoke aggressive police responses at victims’ residences. Authorities say they targeted about 100 people.
An affidavit filed by a U.S. Secret Service agent does not name the former president or other officials involved, though one victim is described as a “former elected official from the executive branch” who was targeted on Jan. 9, 2024. In that incident, Radovanovic allegedly reported a killing and threatened to detonate a bomb at the person’s home.
The indictment also reveals Szabo told Radovanovic they should choose targets from both major political parties to appear nonpartisan, saying, “we are not on any side.”
“This defendant led a dangerous swatting criminal conspiracy, deliberately threatening dozens of government officials with violent hoaxes and targeting our nation’s security infrastructure from behind a screen overseas,” said Attorney General Pam Bondi in a statement.
Radovanovic still faces pending charges. Court records show he has yet to appear in a Washington courtroom.
