A Georgia man who threatened to murder U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene and her staff was sentenced Thursday to time served for the five months he spent in federal jail, as well as three years of supervised release.
Sean Patrick Cirillo, 34, admits to calling Greene’s congressional office in Washington, D.C., in November 2023 and telling workers that he planned to kill the Rome Republican the following week.
“I got a bead on her. Like a sniper rifle. A sniper rifle,” Cirillo said about Greene on Nov. 8, 2023, according to his indictment. “And I’m gonna kill her next week. I’m gonna murder her. I’ll kill you too if you want. You’re gonna die. Your family is gonna die.”
The next day, FBI investigators seized Cirillo at his residence in DeKalb County. He was given bond in early April and pleaded guilty in July to one count of interstate threats.
Cirillo’s court-appointed attorney, Allison C. Dawson, stated that he currently resides with his uncle in Macon, his childhood home. She stated that he has long-standing known mental health difficulties and promptly informed federal officials that he made threatening phone calls to draw the attention of law enforcement.
“A search of Mr. Cirillo’s person and residence did not reveal any firearms or weapons nor was there any indication that Mr. Cirillo was going to follow through with his threats,” Dawson said about Cirillo’s arrest in a Nov. 4 sentencing memorandum. “Mr. Cirillo was completely candid and cooperative with law enforcement officers by providing access and consent to search his residence and made incriminating statements during this encounter.”
A federal judge in Atlanta ordered Cirillo to participate in mental health and behavioral treatment programs as part of his supervised release. He risked up to five years in prison and a fine of $250,000.
Cirillo earned a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from the University of Georgia in 2015 and worked as a contract data engineer for Home Depot prior to his arrest.
Dawson told the judge that Cirillo is deeply sorry and ashamed of his unlawful actions. She stated that his past criminal record consisted of minor crimes, including two driving violations.
“His exemplary behavior on federal pretrial release for the past six months along with compliance with his mental health treatment indicate that he would be a good candidate for a non-custodial sentence,” she said in the sentencing memo. “Such a sentence would afford Mr. Cirillo the opportunity to continue the mental health treatment he obviously needs and to remain a law-abiding citizen of society as demonstrated since his release.”
Cirillo contacted Greene’s office three times from his cellphone while in Atlanta’s Inman Park area, according to a federal prosecutor who testified during Cirillo’s guilty hearing in July.
Greene, who has represented Georgia’s 14th congressional district in Northwest Georgia since January 2021, is one of the most well-known and contentious members of Congress. She gained reelection on Tuesday.
“Threats to murder elected officials should never be tolerated,” Greene said in a statement after Cirillo’s arrest. “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.”