Florida man convicted in plot to kill prosecutor, FBI agent, and others in cyberstalking case

A former Florida International University (FIU) student has been convicted of attempting to murder a federal prosecutor, an FBI agent, and multiple witnesses in a murder-for-hire scheme intended to obstruct his cyber harassment trial, according to federal officials.

Anthony Brillante II, 36, was found guilty by a federal jury in Fort Lauderdale on Friday of attempted murder of a U.S. employee, solicitation to commit a violent crime, use of interstate commerce facilities in a murder-for-hire plot, witness tampering, and obstruction of justice. Sentencing is scheduled for October 1.

According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Brillante sought to kill the federal prosecutor and FBI special agent assigned to his cyber harassment case, along with the victims and witnesses, just before his trial was set to begin on October 30, 2023.

On October 29, Brillante met with an undercover FBI agent posing as a hitman and offered a total of $40,000 to carry out the murders. Despite the attempt to halt proceedings, he was tried, convicted, and sentenced to nine years in prison for cyber harassment.

The underlying case stemmed from Brillante’s arrest in August 2022 for a months-long campaign of harassment against members of his extended family.

While a student at FIU, Brillante used spoofed phone numbers to send tens of thousands of threatening messages and calls to his cousin, her husband, and their 12-year-old daughter between 2021 and 2022. The messages included explicit threats to shoot the victims in the face and run them over with a car. He also sent similar threats to another cousin and her husband in Texas.

During the earlier cyber harassment trial, prosecutors presented evidence showing Brillante’s efforts to find his victims’ new phone numbers, interest in acquiring firearms and a silencer, and messages expressing disregard for law enforcement warnings. In one text to his brother, he wrote: “idk is threatening to kill a child different…lol.”

Brillante was convicted of three counts of cyber harassment in November 2023 and sentenced to nine years in federal prison. The murder-for-hire case adds significant new charges that carry potentially decades more in prison time.