A federal jury convicted Anthony Brillante II on Friday for plotting to kill a prosecutor and FBI agent handling his cyber harassment case. The 36-year-old former Florida International University student faces sentencing on October 1 after jurors found him guilty on multiple charges. Brillante orchestrated a murder-for-hire scheme days before his scheduled trial in October 2023. He offered an undercover FBI agent posing as a hitman $40,000 to eliminate federal officials and witnesses. The Fort Lauderdale court heard evidence of his attempts to obstruct justice through violence.
Brillante previously terrorized family members through a sustained digital campaign between 2021 and 2022. He sent thousands of threatening messages to his cousin, her spouse, and their 12-year-old child using fake phone numbers. Another cousin and her husband in Texas received similar threats about shootings and vehicle attacks. Courts sentenced him to nine years in prison for cyber harassment charges in November 2023. The murder conspiracy conviction may add decades to his federal prison term.
Brillante previously terrorized family members through a sustained digital campaign between 2021 and 2022. He sent thousands of threatening messages to his cousin, her spouse, and their 12-year-old child using fake phone numbers. Another cousin and her husband in Texas received similar threats about shootings and vehicle attacks. Courts sentenced him to nine years in prison for cyber harassment charges in November 2023. The murder conspiracy conviction may add decades to his federal prison term.
