A Boynton Beach man, Frank Stanzione, was found guilty for a threatening voicemail aimed at former Rep. George Santos and another unidentified individual, officials said. The vitriolic message was left on Jan. 29, 2023, and prompted action from United States Capitol Police after being reported by Santos' chief of staff. "George Santos you fat f------ piece of s--- f-----. You better watch your mother f------ back because I'm gonna bash your mother f------ f----- head in with a bat until your brains are splattered across the f------ wall. You lying, disgusting, disgraceful, mother f------ f-----. You mother f------ piece of s---. You're gonna get f------ murdered you goddamn lying piece of garbage. Watch your back you fat, ugly, piece of s---. You and [Victim 2] are dead." WPTV reported.
The trial concluded Thursday in Fort Lauderdale, ending with Stanzione's conviction. The Department of Justice detailed the aggressive content of the call, and while seeking to dismiss the case, Stanzione claimed the call was an exercise of "a fundamental constitutional right in his political speech" towards Santos, who was reportedly involved in actions considered 'anti-gay' by activists like Stanzione. The accused man stated that he found Santos' number through an online search engine, per the same source.
According to a press release from the Department of Justice, Stanzione's initial defense was centered on his response to the so-called political acts by Santos, which had ignited a heated political backlash from the gay-rights community. The defense painted the picture of Frank Stanzione as a vocal activist provoked by what he perceived to be an unfriendly stance towards the LGBTQ+ community by then Congressman Santos.
However, prosecutors and law enforcement did not sway by Stanzione's defense, focusing instead on the explicit threats embedded in the message. The investigation traced the call to Stanzione's home address in Boynton Beach, where he was interviewed by the Capitol Police on Jan. 31, 2023, in which he admitted the accusations. Although the length of the sentence Stanzione faces remains undisclosed, the conviction underscores the fine line between political dissent and outright threats of violence. Former Representative Santos was expelled from the House in December, a fact that did not mitigate the seriousness of Stanzione's threats in the eyes of the court, WPTV detailed.
