Gay man convicted of death threats against George Santos

A Florida man arrested last year after he made death threats against then-New York Congressman George Santos (R) has been convicted by a federal jury and faces up to five years in prison.

Frank Stanzione, 53, of Boynton Beach, Florida, was convicted of transmitting a threat to kidnap or injure in a voicemail he left at Santos’s Washington, D.C. office just days after the congressman was sworn in last January.

Related: Many House Republicans are bitter with regret about expelling George Santos

Santos’s seat was just filled by a Democrat.

Santos was expelled from the House in December.

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A statement from the Department of Justice detailed the contents of the call.

“George Santos you fat f**king piece of s**t fa***t,” Stanzione says in the voicemail. “You better watch your mother f**king back, because I’m gonna bash your mother f**king fa***t head in with a bat until your brains are splattered across the f**king wall. You lying, disgusting, disgraceful, mother f**king fa***t. You mother f**king piece of s**t. You’re gonna get f**king murdered you goddamn lying piece of garbage. Watch your back you fat, ugly, piece of s**t. You and your husband are dead.”

Santos’s chief of staff reported the message to the United States Capitol Police the next morning. The USCP began investigating the voice message as a threat and determined it was made from a phone associated with Stanzione’s address in Boyton Beach.

Special agents interviewed Stanzione at his home, where he confirmed he had left the threatening message. He told the agents “he feels offended by Santos and does not want him in his (gay) community.” He said he left the message to make Santos “feel like a piece of s**t.”

His lawyers described Stanzione as “a long-standing, active advocate for gay rights.”

At trial, Stanzione filed a motion to dismiss, claiming his prosecution was “retaliatory and vindictive” and “based upon his exercise of political speech related to gay rights.”

“Others who have allegedly committed similar acts,” Stanzione’s counsel claimed, “have not been prosecuted.” The judge rejected the motion.

Stanzione was convicted following a two-day trial. He’s back in court to face sentencing on May 2.

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