A former Maryland resident has been sentenced to more than one year in prison for engaging in a campaign of threatening and harassing telephone calls to numerous congressional offices across the United States. Court records reveal that Ade Salim Lilly made approximately 12,000 calls over a period of 19 months to over 50 offices of members of Congress, with one call involving a threat to kill a congressional staff member.
U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly handed down a sentence of 13 months of incarceration followed by three years of supervised release for Lilly. Prosecutors had recommended an 18-month sentence, citing the need to deter others from similar threatening behavior. Capitol Police Chief J. Thomas Manger testified that threats against members of Congress had surged by about 400% over the past six years.
