Florida man sentenced to 2 years for threats to kill California Rep. Swalwell and his kids

A Florida man was sentenced this week to two years in prison for threatening to kill Rep. Eric Swalwell and his children earlier late last year, federal prosecutors said.

Michael Shapiro, 73, was arrested in January in connection with the threats, which were in voicemails he left at Swalwell’s office on Dec. 19.

In one call Shapiro said, “I’m gonna come after you and kill you,” and in another he said, “I’m gonna come and kill your children,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida said in a Thursday statement.

Shapiro also called Swalwell, D-Calif., “a Chinese spy” in some of the five voicemail messages, court records show.

Shapiro was sentenced in federal court Wednesday. He pleaded guilty to one count of transmitting threatening communications on May 17.

Shapiro argued that the threatening calls were made during a “single drunken episode,” according to court documents. His defense attorney said he made the threats after a night of heavy drinking.

“When interviewed, Mr. Shapiro said he only remembered phoning the office once, but that he had been drunk and did not remember making any threats,” Shapiro’s attorney wrote in a motion prior to sentencing.

Prosecutors responded that Shapiro had made threatening comments to government officials in the past, including in 2019 when he called the United States Capitol Police Threat Assessment Section and said, “I’m going to kill you.”

He also threatened another U.S. representative in January 2019. He was charged and pleaded guilty, and was sentenced to three years of probation in that case, according to court documents.

“These threats are clearly part of a pattern of conduct whereby Shapiro threatens and intimidates government officials,” prosectors wrote in a motion in the case involving threats to Swalwell.