Ade Salim Lilly, a 35-year-old Queens resident, pleaded guilty on Thursday to making more than 12,000 harassing phone calls to members of Congress over a period of less than two years. Among the calls was a chilling threat to kill a congressional staffer, whom Lilly told, “I will kill you, I am going to run you over, I will kill you with a bomb or grenade.”
Court records reveal that Lilly targeted the offices of 54 members of Congress from February 2022 to November 2023, with over 6,526 of the calls directed at congressional offices in Washington, D.C. The U.S. Capitol Police confirmed that Lilly’s calls targeted both political parties.
Lilly’s harassing behavior persisted despite repeated warnings from police and requests from congressional staff members to stop calling. In some instances, staffers would “cease answering their phone” due to Lilly’s incessant calls, with one office being targeted more than 500 times.
The Queens man pleaded guilty to threatening to kidnap or injure someone on interstate commerce and making repeated harassing telephone calls. He faces up to five years in prison for the former charge and up to two years for the latter. Lilly has been in custody since his arrest in November 2023, and his sentencing hearing is set for August 28 before U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly.
The case highlights the importance of protecting congressional staff members and interns from harassment and threats, as they often bear the brunt of such abusive behavior while carrying out their duties. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia has emphasized that threatening another person’s safety or life is a crime and will be prosecuted accordingly.
