ENDICOTT, NY (WIVT/WBGH) – Wednesday in federal court, an Endicott man pled guilty to making threatening phone calls to a member of Congress in Washington, D.C.

51-year-old Joseph Morelli admitted that on March 3rd, 2022, he called the Washington D.C. office of a member of the U.S. House of Representatives and said, “I’m gonna have to take your life into my own hands…I’m gonna hurt you. Physically, I’m gonna hurt you.”

Morelli then placed a voicemail message saying, “I’m gonna have to show you, to your face, right up front, what violence truly is, and I don’t think you’re gonna like it.… I can pay someone 500 bucks to take a baseball bat and crack your skull. …You are going to get f**king physically hurt.”

When nobody responded, he left a third voicemail saying, “You’re gonna cause people to get hurt, so I’m gonna have to hurt you physically. … I’m gonna make sure that, even if they lock me up, someone’s gonna get you ‘cause I’ll pay them to.”

Morelli will be sentenced on June 1st.

He faces up to 5 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and a term of supervised release of up to 3 years.