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 custody, plus three years of supervised release.
Sean Patrick Cirillo, 34, admitted that he called Greene’s congressional office in Washington, D.C., in November 2023 and told staff members that he would 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.”
Cirillo was apprehended by FBI agents the following day at his then-home in DeKalb County. He was granted bond in early April and pleaded guilty in July to a single charge of interstate threats.
Cirillo’s court-appointed attorney, Allison C. Dawson, said he now lives at his childhood home in Macon with his uncle. She said he has long-standing documented mental health issues and immediately told federal agents that he made threatening phone calls to get 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 a condition of his supervised release. He faced up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Cirillo obtained a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from the University of Georgia in 2015 and worked as a contract data engineer with Home Depot before his arrest.
Dawson told the judge that Cirillo is extremely remorseful and ashamed of his criminal conduct. She said his previous criminal record consisted of minor charges, including two driving-related offenses.
“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 thrice called Greene’s office from a cellphone while in the Inman Park neighborhood of Atlanta, a federal prosecutor said during Cirillo’s plea hearing in July.
Greene, who has represented Georgia’s 14th congressional district in Northwest Georgia since January 2021, is one of the most recognizable and controversial members of Congress. She won reelection 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.”
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