Ex-CT Correction Worker Sentenced To Prison For Threatening To Torture, Kill FBI Agent And Family: Feds

A former Connecticut state correction officer has been sentenced to 80 months in federal prison for threatening a South Carolina FBI agent and his family, prosecutors said.

U.S. District Judge Joseph F. Anderson Jr. imposed the sentence on Scott Robert Tardy, 32, of Seymour, in a proceeding in South Carolina, the U.S. Attorney’s office announced Friday.

Tardy entered a guilty plea last year to cyberstalking, providing false statements to the FBI, and obstruction of justice.

Kevin Moore, special agent in charge of the FBI Columbia Field Office, said, “His deliberate actions were intended to instill fear and resulted in lasting trauma for the victims."

Prosecutors said Tardy worked as a correction officer in Connecticut at the time of the offense.

Andrius Banevicius, a spokesperson for the Connecticut Department of Correction, said Tardy was terminated as of Jan. 13 of this year. He had originally been hired in 2020, and during his tenure, he worked as a correction officer at the Hartford Correctional Center.

According to federal prosecutors, Tardy operated an account on the Kik social media platform, where he joined an anti-law enforcement chat group.

Prosecutors said Tardy sent messages and repeatedly identified the victims’ association with the FBI as a reason to target them.

“He also shared photographs of the agent’s spouse and the city and state where they live. Tardy discussed violence against the agent and the agent’s family, including throwing a Molotov cocktail in their bedroom while they were sleeping,” the U.S. Attorney’s office said, in an announcement.

Prosecutors said Tardy asked for the conversation to be moved to a different platform, believing it to be more secure. According to the government, on this platform, Tardy discussed what a cartel would do to the victims, and discussed having one of the victims “tortured for days.” He also wrote about having the violence recorded on video. He said burning the house was “good enough” if the victim was inside, the U.S. Attorney’s office said.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s office, Tardy shared the location of the victims’ home by sharing a map with a pin drop on the victims’ street and asked another user how long it would take them to get there.

When the FBI executed a search warrant at Tardy’s home, he denied sending the messages. He also gave additional false statements during interviews, and caused the phone he used to be reset, clearing its content, and exchanged it for a new phone, officials said.

However, investigators were able to determine Tardy controlled the accounts in question, according to prosecutors.

Tardy’s prison term will be followed by three-years of court-ordered supervision. The judge also ordered Tardy to pay more than $5,000 in restitution to the victims.