A Michigan man has been arrested and charged with threatening to kill FBI Director Kash Patel after allegedly sending threatening messages to Patel and an unidentified associate through Facebook, according to federal prosecutors.
Anthony Daniel Palazzolo, 42, of Chesterfield Township, Michigan, was arrested on Friday and charged with interstate communications involving threats, a federal felony. The charges stem from messages he allegedly sent earlier in October, according to the office of US Attorney Jerome F. Gorgon Jr. for the Eastern District of Michigan.
Court records and a criminal complaint filed by FBI Special Agent Brian Koczenasz show that Palazzolo allegedly sent Facebook messages to an unidentified associate of Patel on October 8. In the messages, he reportedly claimed to have arranged an attack on the individual and described Patel as a target as well.
The complaint included screenshots of the alleged messages, although the identity of Patel’s associate was redacted. Palazzolo reportedly used the name “Baby Bird” in the communications.
Federal investigators traced Palazzolo through his Facebook and TikTok accounts to a residential address in Chesterfield Township, approximately 30 miles north of Detroit. FBI agents visited his home on October 9 to question him about the messages.
According to the criminal complaint, Palazzolo told investigators that he wanted to discuss his belief that the government was violating his property rights. He admitted sending the messages to Patel and the unidentified associate but apologised, saying he had no intention of harming anyone.
He also told investigators that he had contacted several federal law enforcement agencies because he was dissatisfied with their response to his complaints.
However, the alleged threats did not end with the FBI’s visit. Before leaving Palazzolo’s home, an FBI task force officer gave him a cellphone number and government email address. On October 12, Palazzolo allegedly sent emails containing threats of sexual violence to the officer, a district court in Texas, the Secret Service and the US Supreme Court.
The following day, he reportedly called the FBI officer and left two voicemails threatening to use deadly force against federal officials, according to the complaint.
The FBI referred questions about the case to the US Attorney’s Office, which had not immediately responded to a request for comment. The defence attorney appointed to represent Palazzolo also did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Palazzolo appeared before US Magistrate Judge David R. Grand in federal court in Michigan on Friday. The judge ordered him temporarily detained, with a detention hearing scheduled for Monday, according to court records. Palazzolo had not entered a plea at the time of his court appearance.
The case follows another federal prosecution involving threats against Patel and his family. In March, a Massachusetts man, Alden Welch Ruml, was arrested and charged with allegedly sending a threatening email to Patel’s fiancee, Alexis Wilkins, the previous month.
Ruml faces the same federal charge of interstate communications involving threats. He pleaded not guilty, and court records show that his jury trial is scheduled for February.
