Elizabethtown Man Pleads Guilty to Threatening Hardin County Social Services Worker, Commonwealth Constituent Services Employee, and Foster Parents

LOUISVILLE, KY—Anthony J. Gambino, age 45, of Elizabethtown, in Hardin County, pled guilty to 12 counts of making threatening communications with the intent to injure a Hardin County Social Services worker, a Constituent Services employee from the Kentucky Governor’s Office and two foster care parents, all in interstate commerce, announced David J. Hale, United States Attorney for the Western District of Kentucky.

According to court records, in June 2008, Anthony Gambino’s children, L.G. and G.G., were taken into protective custody by the State of Kentucky and later placed with foster parents. At that time, Gambino and his wife were under investigation for allegations of abusing their two children. From June 2008 to September 2009, Gambino had supervised visitations with his children at the Family Services Office in Hardin County, Kentucky. During that time Gambino believed his children would not be returned to him and began making threatening phone calls to employees of Family Services and Commonwealth Constituent Services. Both agencies were involved with his children’s cases. During that same period Gambino has admitted to making threatening phone calls to the children’s foster parents.

The calls were all recorded on voice mails and/or answering machines. The contents of these telephone calls threatened death and/or serious physical harm to each of the victims. Call detail reports for Anthony Gambino’s cellular telephone were obtained from the wireless service provider and those records determined that the victims’ were called by the cellular telephone subscribed to him at the date and time the threatening voicemails were left.

Gambino is facing a combined maximum penalty of 60 years in prison, a $3,000,000 fine, and supervised release for a period of up to three years. He remains in the custody of the United States Marshals Service.

The defendant’s sentencing is scheduled for September 12, 2011 at 11:00 a.m. before the Honorable Joseph H. McKinley, Jr. in Louisville, Kentucky.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Daniel P. Kinnicutt, and it was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.