Who is Joseph Morelli? NY man jailed for 3 months over threatening phone calls to Rep Marjorie Taylor Greene
SYRACUSE, NEW YORK STATE: A New York man was sentenced to three months in prison for making threatening phone calls to Georgia GOP Rep Marjorie Taylor Greene last year.
According to The Post-Standard of Syracuse, Joseph Morelli, 51, of Endicott, was sentenced in federal court in Syracuse on Thursday after pleading guilty in February to making seven threatening calls to Greene's Washington, DC, office on March 3-4, 2022.
Morelli has until October 2 to surrender.
What did Joseph Morelli say to Marjorie Taylor Greene?
Morelli left a voicemail at Greene's office on March 3, 2022, saying, "I'm gonna have to take your life into my own hands … I'm gonna hurt you. Physically, I'm gonna harm you."
On the same day, he left a second message threatening to "pay someone $500 to take a baseball bat and crack your skull."
In a third message, Morelli said, "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, too."
What are the charges against Joseph Morelli?
Morelli was charged with three counts of distributing interstate threatening messages a month later.
How much compensation did Marjorie Taylor Greene ask for?
Greene requested that the judge order Morelli to pay her $66,632 in compensation because the threats forced her to construct more than 1,200 feet of fencing and upgrade security cameras at her Georgia property.
However, Judge Brenda Sannes postponed a ruling on restitution.
According to The Post-Standard of Syracuse, Assistant US Attorney Richard Southwick argued in court Thursday that while Morelli did not purchase a firearm or a car to drive to Georgia to carry out his threats, he could have.
To whom else did Joseph Morelli threaten?
Morelli had previously threatened others, including retired Judge Joseph J Cassata, according to Southwick, and was "seeking confrontation with an authority figure."
Southwick stated that Morelli's sentencing would dissuade him and others from making threats in the future and that Morelli should be held accountable for his actions, as per reports.
Is Joseph Morell suffering from bipolar disorder?
Morelli's federal public defender's office counsel, Gabrielle DiBella, told the judge that her client has expressed sorrow for his acts.
Morelli's threats were blamed on his bipolar disease, according to DiBella, who added that her client "is now doing everything in his power to work with treatment providers and minimize the struggles that he faces due to his mental health diagnosis."
Morelli, according to DiBella, made the threats after seeing footage of Greene at a time when his health was declining and he was not in the best of spirits.
Two of the tapes showed Greene addressing a Parkland shooting survivor, which DiBella claimed prompted Morelli to conclude Greene instilled hatred.
Greene created a video commercial promoting a gun giveaway and impeaching President Joe Biden.
Greene declared in a 2022 video that she was going to blow up a car with the word "socialism" on it before blowing out the Democrat socialist program.
Morelli, who relies on Social Security benefits, felt threatened by the video, according to DiBella, as reported by FoxNews.
What would happen if Joseph Morelli was imprisoned?
DiBella further claimed that if Morelli was imprisoned, he would lose his Social Security benefits and flat and would be homeless upon his release.
The judge stated that she realized Morelli's threats were motivated by his mental health issues, but the texts were nevertheless disturbing and terrified Greene's family.
Sannes stated that the absence of evidence demonstrating Morelli's intent to hurt Greene or carry out the threats was considered.