Leah B. Foley United States Attorney for the District of Massachusetts | Department of Justice
A South Dennis, Massachusetts man has pleaded guilty to making threats against a federal official and members of their family. Michael P. Mahoney, 62, admitted in federal court to one count of transmitting interstate threats to injure another person. U.S. District Court Chief Judge Denise J. Casper set sentencing for October 29, 2025.
According to court documents, on March 28, 2025, the relative of a prominent federal official received a phone call while dining outside Massachusetts. The caller, later identified as Mahoney, confirmed the relative’s full name before making violent threats against the relative, their spouse, and the federal official by name. The call lasted about 12 seconds and included explicit language. Mahoney called back immediately after the initial call but did not receive an answer.
Investigators traced both calls to Mahoney using records from the phone service provider. When law enforcement visited his residence in South Dennis on March 29, Mahoney did not respond to officers at his door or answer his phone.
The charge carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine up to $250,000. Sentencing will be determined according to federal guidelines.
“United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; Colonel Geoffrey D. Noble, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police; and Dennis Police Chief John Brady made the announcement today.”
“Assistant U.S. Attorney Nadine Pellegrini, Chief of the National Security Unit, is prosecuting the case.”
