FBI: Fruitland Park man threatened Congress members
FBI agents arrested a Fruitland Park man they say left profane, threatening voicemails to members of the U.S. Congress.
Richard Mel Phillips, 36, was charged with transmitting threatening communications and booked into the Marion County Jail on Wednesday as a federal courtesy hold. The Marion County Jail holds suspects arrested on federal charges in Citrus, Lake, Sumter and Marion counties.
FBI agents Todd Myers and Michael Jeffcoat interviewed Richard Phillips, 36, at his Fruitland Park home on Aug. 23. Phillips admitted “he made phone calls to politicians because they made him angry,” according to Philips’ criminal complaint. In one message, he listed the Congress member by name and blamed that person for his inability to get a job.
In the message first reported to the FBI, Phillips said there is “nothing stopping me from killing your (expletive) ass,” according to the criminal complaint. He also dared the member of congress to send FBI agents to his house and he would “slaughter” them.
"The caller promises to travel to the member of Congress's home territory and 'stick a bullet through your (expletive) skull,'" Jeffcoat wrote in the criminal complaint signed by a U.S. magistrate judge. "The caller states repeatedly that 'you're all going to (expletive) die; and emphasizes that he is 'not (expletive) kidding around with you mother(expletive).'"
When the agents played the recording for Phillips, they said he “smiled as he listened to the voicemail.” Phillips told the agents he left that voicemail on Aug. 21. He said while he threatened the Congress member, “he did not have the means to carry out the threat.” Phillips told the federal officials he does not have any weapons, money or plans to leave the state.
Officials said the voicemail was one of four messages left for various members of Congress. Their names were not released. But in the federal complaint, there is a reference to "M.W.," a member of Congress who received the two-minute threatening voicemail. There is a Facebook page from a Richard Phillips of Fruitland Park that prominently features a phone number that matches a partial phone number listed on the federal complaint. That Facebook page also has an Aug. 7 post attacking U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters, a Democrat from California.
"She Needs To Be Outed She The Wone Needs To Be Impeach She Wants Trumps Suporters To Be Beaten But If She Does Not Resine And Keeps On Tageing On Her Antifia To Go After Trumps Suporters," the post says about Waters. "We Will Rise And Take You All Down Our Way You Want To Pull That Triger Do It Then You Will See What Real Up Risen Is All About."
Phillips’ criminal complaint was signed by a judge on Sept. 17, according to a document obtained by the Star-Banner.
Agent Sean Wilson was made aware of the two-minute voicemail left for the member of Congress in Washington D.C. Federal agents were able to identify Phillips as the person who left the messages. They described the caller as loud, angry and screaming.
"Phillips also stated that he and his mother never leave the house and are there 24 hours a day, seven days a week," Jeffcoat wrote in the complaint.
Contact Austin L. Miller at 867-4118, austin.miller@starbanner.com or @almillerosb.