Romanian leader of online swatting ring gets 4 years in prison

A federal judge has sentenced 27-year-old Thomasz Szabo, a Romanian national who orchestrated an extensive online swatting operation, to four years in federal prison. The comprehensive criminal enterprise targeted more than 75 public officials, multiple journalists, and four religious institutions across the United States.

Swatting represents a particularly dangerous form of criminal harassment that involves making false emergency reports to law enforcement agencies, falsely claiming an ongoing violent threat at a victim's address. This deceptive practice is designed to provoke an armed police response, putting both targets and law enforcement personnel at significant risk.

Following his extradition from Romania in November 2024, Szabo received his sentence along with an additional three years of supervised release. He had previously entered guilty pleas to one count of conspiracy and one count of making threats involving explosives in June 2025.

Criminal Operation and Methods

Operating under numerous online aliases—including "Jonah," "Jonah Goldberg," "Plank," "Rambler," "War Lord," "Shovel," "Cypher," "Kollectivist," "Mortenberg Shekelstorms," and "NotThuggin2"—Szabo established and directed an online community that initiated a systematic pattern of bomb threats and swatting attacks beginning in late 2020.

Federal court documents reveal that Szabo personally executed false reports to U.S. law enforcement agencies. Notable incidents include a December 2020 threat to conduct a mass shooting at New York City synagogues and a January 2021 threat to detonate explosives at the U.S. Capitol while threatening to kill then-President-elect Joe Biden.

Widespread Impact on Government Officials

U.S. Attorney Pirro emphasized the breadth of Szabo's criminal activities during Wednesday's sentencing proceedings: "Members of Congress, cabinet officials, the heads of federal law enforcement agencies, churches, journalists — Thomasz Szabo and his followers targeted them all with swatting calls and fake bomb threats designed to send armed police to their doors."

Beyond personally conducting attacks, Szabo actively promoted his criminal activities to followers and encouraged them to execute similar operations. This encouragement catalyzed an intensive wave of swatting attacks between December 2023 and early January 2024, targeting at least 25 members of Congress or their family members and at least six senior executive branch officials, including multiple cabinet-level figures.

During this same period, Szabo's network also targeted at least 13 senior federal law enforcement officials, members of the federal judiciary, at least 27 state officials, and four religious institutions.

Financial Impact and Resource Drain

The operation's scope extended beyond individual harassment to create substantial financial burdens on taxpayers and law enforcement agencies. One group member reportedly boasted to Szabo about conducting more than 25 swatting calls within a single day, claiming responsibility for wasting more than $500,000 in taxpayer funds over just two days.

Additional Legal Proceedings

The investigation has also resulted in charges against 23-year-old Serbian national Nemanja Radovanovic, another member of Szabo's network, who was charged in August 2024 in connection with the same criminal scheme. Radovanovic faces separate legal proceedings.

Law Enforcement Response

FBI Special Agent Michael Burgwald highlighted the broader implications of the case: "Mr. Szabo's and his co-conspirators' incessant swatting attacks created a tremendous drain on law enforcement resources and taxpayer dollars and put innocent civilians in harm's way. Today's sentencing is an important step toward ensuring that those who believe swatting is just a prank will be disabused of that notion and making it clear that those who engage in it will face justice."

This case represents a significant milestone in international cooperation on cybercrime prosecution, demonstrating the commitment of U.S. authorities to pursue justice across international boundaries when American citizens and institutions are targeted by foreign-based criminal operations.