Marc H. Silverman, the Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced the sentencing of Garrett Santillo, a 45-year-old from Hamden. Santillo was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Victor A. Bolden in New Haven to one day of imprisonment, time already served, along with three years of supervised release for mailing numerous threatening letters to individuals in Connecticut and other locations.
Records and court statements reveal that between December 2021 and June 2022, Santillo sent over 100 letters containing threatening language, including threats of violence, to journalists, judges, public officials, and individuals both in Connecticut and elsewhere. Among the recipients were a Justice of the United States Supreme Court and a Supreme Court Justice Nominee. Some letters included language such as: "If you don’t obey what this letter says, you along with others including [name redacted] and people in Washington DC and everywhere and you. You all will be killed!!"
Garrett Santillo was arrested on July 6, 2022, and later pleaded guilty on June 1, 2023, to one count of mailing threatening communications to a United States Judge. Notably, this marks Santillo's fourth federal prosecution for sending threatening letters.
Judge Bolden has mandated that Santillo continue mental health treatment during his supervised release and has authorized the U.S. Probation Office to monitor his electronic devices.
The U.S. Postal Inspection Service led the investigation, assisted by the U.S. Marshals Service, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Connecticut State Police, South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED), and the Hamden, Milford, Ridgefield, and New Haven Police Departments. Also contributing were the Connecticut Chief State’s Attorney's Office, the New Haven State’s Attorney's Office, and the Litchfield State’s Attorney's Office.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael S. McGarry.
