A New York man has been sentenced to 13 months in prison for making over 12,000 harassing and threatening calls to congressional offices. Ade Salim Lilly, 35, pleaded guilty in May to charges related to these calls, which he made between February 2022 and November 2023.
Lilly targeted approximately 54 members of Congress, reaching out to both their district offices and Washington, DC offices. During this period, he threatened violence against at least one staff member. In one instance, he called a lawmaker's office more than 500 times over the course of two days in February 2023.
The threats included extreme language; in one call, Lilly threatened to kill a staff member, saying, "I will kill you, I am going to run you over, I will kill you with a bomb or grenade."
Following his arrest in November 2023, after relocating to Puerto Rico, Lilly faced a federal court where he was sentenced by Judge [Name]. The judge also imposed a three-year term of supervised release to follow his prison sentence. Prosecutors had initially sought an 18-month sentence, arguing that the current election cycle increases the risk of normalizing such threats.
Capitol Police Chief J. Thomas Manger testified that Lilly's harassment coincided with a 400% increase in threats against lawmakers over the past six years. Chief Manger emphasized the seriousness of the issue, stating, "We will enforce the law anytime someone crosses the line from free speech to harassment or threats."
Lilly's motive and underlying ideology remain unclear, according to public records. During his sentencing, Lilly claimed his actions were intended to benefit future generations, saying, “My intent was always to do what’s best for our future generations.”
The judge highlighted the recent increase in violent incidents targeting politicians, referencing notable cases such as the attempted assassination of Donald Trump and the attack on Nancy Pelosi’s husband. “We’ve got a real problem on our hands,” the judge remarked before announcing the sentence.
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