A team of heavily-armed law enforcement officers took a Broome County man into custody after he allegedly made several threats against Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene.

FBI agents assisted by Endicott police made a surprise pre-dawn visit Wednesday to an apartment house on the North Side of the village.

50-year-old Joseph Francis Morelli of Oak Hill Avenue was taken into custody without incident.

According to a criminal complaint filed by an FBI agent, Morelli is accused of transmitting interstate threatening communications.

A large contingent of law enforcement vehicles, including armored trucks, staged several blocks away from Morelli's residence before 6 a.m. Wednesday. Morelli was processed at the Broome County Jail around 8:30 a.m.

An affidavit states Morelli left seven threatening voicemail messages for Taylor Greene at her Washington congressional office on March 3 and March 4.

In one message, Morelli is alleged to have identified himself and provided his phone number before stating: "You've got a big f---ing mouth, and I'm gonna show you what violence is really about."

In the message, the caller was recorded saying he could "pay someone 500 bucks to take a baseball bat and crack your skull." He later said: "You are going to get f---ing physically hurt."

In an earlier voicemail, the caller said "I just don't think I can go on letting you, you know, cause hatred and poison to people."

Taylor Greene has sparked controversy several times since taking office in January 2021. Her personal Twitter account was permanently suspended after the company said she had violated its Covid-19 misinformation policies.

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Contact WNBF News reporter Bob Joseph: bob@wnbf.com.

For breaking news and updates on developing stories, follow @BinghamtonNow on Twitter.

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