A man from South Dennis, Massachusetts, has been apprehended on charges of threatening to murder a notable federal official, along with the official's relative and their spouse. Michael P. Mahoney, aged 62, is facing a federal complaint of transmitting interstate threats intended to cause injury.
Authorities arrested Mahoney this morning, and he is scheduled to make an initial appearance in federal court in Boston later today at 2 p.m.
Court documents reveal that on March 28, 2025, the federal official's relative, dining with others outside Massachusetts, received a phone call marked with "No Caller ID" around 10:15 p.m. The caller, who was allegedly Mahoney, confirmed the relative's full name and shouted threats to murder the relative, their spouse, and the federal official. He reportedly referred to the spouse and official by their first names, using vulgar language before the call ended abruptly after 12 seconds. Mahoney allegedly called again immediately, but there was no answer.
Phone records from the relative’s provider allegedly linked the threatening call and a subsequent missed call to Mahoney's number. The following day, March 29, 2025, Mahoney reportedly ignored law enforcement's attempts to contact him at his South Dennis home by refusing to answer his door or phone.
The charge of transmitting interstate threats can result in a sentence of up to five years' imprisonment, three years of supervised release, and a fine reaching $250,000. Sentencing is at the discretion of a federal district court judge, aligned with U.S. Sentencing Guidelines.
U.S. Attorney Leah B. Foley, Jodi Cohen from the Boston Division of the FBI, Colonel Geoffrey D. Noble of the Massachusetts State Police, and Dennis Police Chief John Brady announced Mahoney's arrest. Assistant U.S. Attorney Nadine Pellegrini, heading the National Security Unit, will prosecute the case.
Charging document allegations remain unproven, and Mahoney is considered innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in court.
