Syracuse Man Pleads Guilty to Death Threat Against Rep. Katko

A 28-year-old Syracuse man has admitted to threatening to kill U.S. Congressman John Katko and his entire family in a chilling voice mail over the issue of net neutrality. Patrick D. Angelo pleaded guilty to interstate communication of a threat before U.S. District Judge Mae A. D’Agostino in Buffalo, facing up to five years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine.

The threat was delivered on October 19, 2017, when Congressman Katko’s Washington, D.C. office received a voicemail from Angelo that rapidly escalated into a violent ultimatum. “Listen Mr. Katko, if you support net neutrality, I will support you. But if you don’t support net neutrality, I will find you and your family and I will kill…you…all. Do you understand?” the recording stated. The message continued: “I will literally find all…of…you and your progeny and t- just wipe you from the face of the earth.”

Angelo’s tirade elevated net neutrality above national defense, free speech, and health care, calling it “the basis of the new free society.” The call, traced directly to Angelo’s phone number, triggered an immediate investigation by the U.S. Capitol Police Threat Assessment Section and the FBI. As a result, security for Congressman Katko—a former Assistant U.S. Attorney—was significantly heightened.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Craig R. Gestring and Sean C. Eldridge of the Western District of New York, since the Northern District recused itself due to Katko’s prior service there. The investigation was led by the FBI under Special Agent-in-Charge Vadim Thomas, the New York State Police under Major Philip T. Rougeux, and the U.S. Capitol Police under Matthew R. Verderosa.

U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. condemned the act, stating, “By making threats to the lives of Congressman Katko and his family, the defendant potentially faces not only a significant prison sentence but also, as a convicted felon, a loss of his right to vote.” He added, “Ironically, yet fittingly, by abandoning rationale discourse and resorting to threats against a public official, the defendant has essentially rendered himself a mute in the political process.”

Sentencing is scheduled for June 21, 2018, at 10:00 a.m. before Judge D’Agostino. The case underscores the federal government’s zero-tolerance policy for threats against elected officials, regardless of the political motivation behind them.

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