Florida man charged with threatening to kill US Rep Eric Swalwell and his children

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — A South Florida man threatened to kill U.S. Rep. Eric Swalwell and his children in a series of voicemails left at the California Democrat’s Washington office last month, federal prosecutors said.

Michael Shapiro, 72, of Greenacres, Florida, was arrested Wednesday morning on a charge of transmitting a threatening communication, according to court records. He made his initial appearance in West Palm Beach federal court, where a bond of $250,000 was set.

According to a criminal complaint, Shapiro left five voicemail messages at Swalwell’s office D.C. office on Dec. 19. The complaint doesn’t name the member of Congress, but Swalwell confirmed that the messages were left for him in a social media post on Wednesday.

“No threat is going to stop me from representing my constituents,” Swalwell said. “MAGA Republicans have chosen violence over voting and this is what it looks like.”

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In one of the messages, Shapiro