Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s request for a New York man, Joseph Morelli, to pay for the cost of a security fence she installed at her home has been denied by a federal judge. Morelli had been sentenced to three months in prison after pleading guilty to transmitting interstate threats to Greene’s Washington office. The congresswoman, backed by the Biden administration’s Department of Justice, demanded $66,632 from Morelli to cover the expenses of the security fence and closed-circuit television system upgrades.
However, U.S. District Judge Brenda Sannes, appointed by Obama, ruled against Greene’s request. Sannes stated that federal law only allows for restitution if there is a “loss of property,” which was not the case in this situation. The judge emphasized that the money spent on security enhancements was from Greene’s campaign funds, not personal funds.
Sannes also rejected the Justice Department’s argument that Morelli’s threats directly caused the harm that led Greene to make the security upgrades. The judge pointed out that Greene’s office had received threats from multiple individuals, including two others who were charged for their alleged messages. Additionally, the upgrades were made several months after Morelli’s voicemails in March 2022.
The Justice Department claimed that Morelli’s voicemails were the final trigger for Greene’s decision to make the security upgrades. However, Sannes ruled that there was a significant delay between Morelli’s offenses and the dates when the expenses were incurred, with the security-camera reconfiguration not taking place until September 2022 and the fence construction estimate produced in October 2022.
Court documents revealed that Morelli’s voicemails contained threats of physical harm towards Greene, accusing her of spreading “hatred” and “poison” for people. Despite the denial of Greene’s request for restitution, it is important to note that the motive behind Morelli’s threats and the impact they had on Greene’s sense of security were acknowledged.
The Hill has reached out to Greene’s office for comment on the matter.
