Who is Sean Cirillo? Georgia man charged after threatening to murder Marjorie Taylor Greene
CAPITOL HILL, WASHINGTON DC: Sean Patrick Cirillo, 34, of Macon, Georgia, was arrested on charges of threatening to kill Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, the US Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia confirmed to NBC News on Friday, November 9.
The Georgia man has been charged with federal counts of using communications devices to make a threat. He allegedly called Greene’s office pretending to be a major donor, then claimed to be a sniper.
“Hey, I’m a major donor. Yeah, I got a bead on her. Like a sniper rifle. A sniper rifle. And I’m gonna kill her next week. I’m gonna shoot her in the f***king head and kill her," he said in one of the calls.
Officials said Cirillo, 34, called the Georgia Congresswoman’s office twice on Wednesday, November 8, and went on a rant that included threats to shoot Greene “with a sniper rifle", according to the call recording obtained by NBC.
Who is Sean Patrick Cirillo?
The 34-year-old is an alum of the Stratford Academy in Macon, and was arrested at a home in Atlanta by the FBI, Greene’s office confirmed to NBC.
Cirillo will appear before a Federal Magistrate Court on Monday, November 13, WXIA reported, citing federal prosecutors.
It is uncertain if Sean has secured legal representation to speak on his behalf, as he may face up to five years in prison upon conviction.
In a recording of a call shared by Greene’s office with NBC News, Cirillo said, “You don’t think it’s going to happen when you are out of power?” and “You don’t think you are going to get payback?”
“I’m going to murder her; I’m going to shoot her in the f***king head and kill her, ok,” the caller said, and added, “Tell the FBI.”
“You’re going to die. Your family is going to die,” the caller yelled.
What did Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene say?
Marjorie Taylor Greene, a far-right Republican, is the Representative of Georgia's 14th Congressional District. The district encompasses several counties in the northwest region.
It has been reported that authorities did not disclose if the threats were made to the Congresswoman's Washington, DC office or her district office in Dalton, Georgia.
Greene thanked law enforcement in a statement on Friday, saying, “I want to thank every single member of law enforcement who acted swiftly in response to this murderous threat."
"From Rome City Police, the Floyd County Sheriff’s Office, US Capitol Police, the House Sergeant at Arms, and ultimately the FBI who made the arrest, every official acted quickly to put this man behind bars," Greene said.
“It doesn’t matter your political affiliation, no one should threaten your life for doing the job you were sent by the people to do. Receiving death threats on almost a daily basis is something I never expected when I entered office, but it is wrong and should never be tolerated,” she said.
"I’m not the only victim with this threat of violence. My family is threatened. My staff is threatened. I even had to close my district office due to the potential of violence. It’s wrong and never should happen," she added.
Greene concluded her statement, saying, "Threats of violence must be taken seriously. And that’s exactly why I take my Second Amendment rights seriously."
The Congresswoman's statement noted the momentary closure of her office as a precautionary measure in response to the alleged threats made by Sean Patrick Cirillo.
The motive behind the nature of the threats, which were directed toward the Congresswoman and her family members, remains unclear.
The Congresswoman, who identifies as a conservative, has recently gained attention due to her submission of articles of impeachment against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and censure resolutions against Representative Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich.
This marks the second time a Republican member of Congress from Georgia has been threatened this week.
Repesentative Rich McCormick had to temporarily close his office in Cumming after receiving serious threats of violence against his staff. However, details of the threats have not been released by McCormick's office.