A veteran employee of Voice of America (VOA) has been charged with making violent threats, including threats to kill Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), her staff, and her family, using a government-issued mobile phone over a span of 15 months.
According to reports, Seth Jason, the VOA employee, was arrested on early Thursday morning, facing four federal counts. The threats were allegedly made through VOA’s studio and control room phone lines, specifically targeting Rep. Greene and her team.
The indictment outlines that between October 2023 and January 2025, Jason made eight anonymous threatening phone calls to Greene’s Congressional District Office in Georgia. The prosecutors claim he threatened to kill Greene, her staff, and her family, utilizing taxpayer-funded devices.
U.S. attorney Janine Piro and Capitol Police Chief Michael Sullivan shared details following the charges, which include two counts related to threats against federal officials. These charges also involve threats to family members and interstate communications that could inflict injury. If convicted on all counts, Jason could face a sentence of up to 27 years in prison.
The last of Jason’s calls was recorded on January 21, 2025, just a day after President Donald Trump’s inauguration. Kari Lake, a Senior Advisor for the U.S. Global Media Agency, characterized the threats as “disgusting” and commended Piro for seeking accountability.
“It’s infuriating to think that VOA employees, funded by taxpayer money, would use government equipment to threaten lives, including those of elected officials,” Lake expressed. “If he’s found guilty, I hope he receives the maximum sentence.”
Lake also echoed Trump’s call to dismantle the agency, noting that the circumstances surrounding this arrest highlight ongoing issues within U.S. global media institutions. Lake further pointed out that a month prior, the agency had seen significant staff cuts, eliminating 1,400 positions, effectively slashing the workforce by 85%. “It’s a bloated, biased, dysfunctional organization,” she stated, with Rep. Greene endorsing these cuts as necessary following surveillance that uncovered fraud and mismanagement within the agency.
