Chicago City Wire

A Chicago Heights man who allegedly made threats involving President-elect Joe Biden has been arrested by federal officers.

Louis Capriotti, 45, is alleged to have made calls for several months to members of Congress and left voicemails full of vague threats, profanity and racism, the Chicago Sun-Times reported.

One threat was directed at Biden and involved his Jan. 20 inauguration.

Authorities say Capriotti said in his threats that Congress was sadly mistaken if they thought Biden would be inaugurated.

Specifically, he allegedly said if people thought “that Joe Biden is going to put his hand on the Bible and walk into that (expletive) White House on Jan. 20th, they’re sadly (expletive) mistaken.”

“We will surround the (expletive) White House and we will kill any (expletive) Democrat that steps on the (expletive) lawn,” Capriotti allegedly said in the voicemail, which was left for a member of Congress.

Federal officers arrested Capriotti this morning at 5:42 a.m. and charged him with transmitting a threat. He then went before a judge in the afternoon and is being held until a detention hearing on Friday.

A criminal complaint against Capriotti states that the U.S Capitol Police contacted the FBI back in January 2020 and in February 2020, Capriotti was interviewed about voicemails he’d left back in 2017.

At that point, Capriotti told the agents that he was just messing with the Congress members, even though the messages could be interpreted as hateful and threatening. He told the agents he meant no ill will.

The agents told him if he continued to make such calls, he could face charges. However, he allegedly continued to make the calls. He left messages for members of Congress in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Michigan, the news media reported.

Capriotti has had charges brought against him in Cook County between 2007 and 2014. He was charged with violating an order of protection in 2008 and was sentenced to 75 days in the Cook County Jail.

He was also charged with violating an order of protection in 2012 and was sentenced to 30 days in Cook County Jail.