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Cape Cod man arrested, accused of threatening to murder ‘prominent federal official’
Michael Mahoney, 62, of South Dennis is being charged with one count of transmitting interstate threats to injure another person.
A Cape Cod man was arrested Wednesday morning for allegedly threatening to murder a “prominent federal official” and two members of the official’s family, prosecutors announced.
Michael Mahoney, 62, of South Dennis was charged with one count of transmitting interstate threats to injure another person, the office of US Attorney Leah Foley said in a statement.
The federal official allegedly targeted by Mahoney was not named in the statement or in charging documents.
According to prosecutors, a relative of the federal official was having dinner at a location outside of Massachusetts on March 28 when the relative received a phone call around 10:15 p.m. with “no caller ID.” When the relative answered the phone, prosecutors allege the caller — later identified by investigators as Mahoney — confirmed the person’s full name and then began to scream.
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Mahoney allegedly said he was going to murder the relative, their spouse, and the federal official, allegedly saying “Die you [expletive] [expletive] [expletive].”
The relative hung up, and Mahoney allegedly called back immediately but the person did not answer, prosecutors said. The first call lasted about 12 seconds.
“Call records obtained from the relative’s phone service provider allegedly indicated that the originating number for the threatening call, as well as the subsequent unanswered call, belonged to Mahoney,” Foley’s office said in a statement.
Mahoney allegedly refused to answer his door or his phone when he was approached by law enforcement at his South Dennis home on March 29. He was arrested and arraigned on Wednesday.
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He did not enter a plea and was ordered held in custody pending an April 8 hearing, according to The Boston Globe.
According to prosecutors, the charge of transmitting interstate threats to injure another person can result in up to five years in prison if convicted.
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