WASHINGTON – In a brazen display of disregard for the law and Congressional staff safety, 35-year-old Ade Salim Lilly of Queens, NY, pleaded guilty to threatening a Congressional staff member and making over 12,000 harassing telephone calls to Members of Congress, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief J. Thomas Manger of the U.S. Capitol Police.
Lilly, who stood before U.S. District Court Judge Timothy J. Kelly, pleaded guilty to two federal charges: interstate communications with a threat to kidnap or injure and repeated telephone calls. The threat charge carries a maximum sentence of five years of imprisonment and a $250,000 fine; the count of repeated phone calls carries a maximum of two years imprisonment and a $250,000 fine.
According to court documents, Lilly made over 12,000 telephone calls to approximately 54 offices of Members of Congress across the country, both in district offices located in various U.S. States and to offices located in Washington, D.C. Of the calls to congressional offices, more than 6,526 were made by Lilly to offices within the District of Columbia.
Most of these phone calls were answered by congressional staff members or interns, with Lilly becoming angry and using vulgar and harassing language towards the individual who answered the phone. Congressional staff repeatedly asked Lilly to refrain from calling, but he continued to harass them. U.S. Capitol Police informed Lilly on multiple occasions that his phone calls were unwanted, and due to a harassing nature, were prohibited by law.
On October 21, 2022, Lilly called into a congressional office in Washington D.C., threatening a staff member. “I will kill you, I am going to run you over, I will kill you with a bomb or grenade,” Lilly told the employee. In addition to the threatening phone calls, Lilly repeatedly called Congressional offices. For example, during two-days in February 2023, Lilly called one congressional representative more than 500 times.
Lilly was indicted and the U.S. Capitol Police deployed agents to arrest him on November 14, 2023, in Puerto Rico. This case was investigated by the U.S. Capitol Police with valuable assistance from the United States Marshal’s Service. It was prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexander R. Schneider. Judge Kelly scheduled sentencing for August 28, 2024.
“Threatening another person’s safety or life is a crime, not protected speech,” said U.S. Attorney Graves. “This case should send a clear message that while people are secure in their rights to express themselves, they are not allowed to threaten people and those who do will be held accountable.”
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Key Facts
- State: Washington DC
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Violent Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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