Man accused of threatening FBI ‘annoying, a nuisance’ but not dangerous: attorneys

As his defense attorneys see it, the criminal charges against Matthew Berger are “about a nuisance” — not about someone who the feds say threatened FBI agents and tried to force his way into a bureau satellite office in Rolling Meadows.

“This is about someone who’s annoying,” defense attorney Josh Herman said during his opening statements Thursday morning. “He’s our client and I’m saying that.”

Berger was indicted in December 2018, not long after he made a series of threatening calls to various FBI offices across the country, according to prosecutors.

His attorneys pointed to the fact that Berger had called FBI offices so often that the bureau had formally designated him as a “nuisance” — someone who’s called into tip lines more than 20 times without any information related to current or potential investigations.

Recordings of several of Berger’s calls were played for the jury Thursday.

On Dec. 3, 2018, he called the Honolulu FBI field office, telling a call taker: “I think God’s gonna shatter your nation very soon.”

“Are you making a threat, sir?” the employee responded.

“On behalf of God,” Berger replied.

Berger then gave a “shout-out” to Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying: “Putin, teach these f------ p------ a lesson for me. Put them on the f------ ground.”

On Dec. 6, 2018, he called the Anchorage, Alaska FBI field office three times within 90 minutes. One of those calls was answered by Bryson Hill.

Hill testified that Berger told him: “I’m going to kill everyone in the JTTF” — the Joint Terrorism Task Force.

“He was very agitated and aggressive,” Hill said.

In another call from Dec. 14, 2018, Berger told an FBI call taker: “This is Matthew Berger and you are my enemy, U.S. government, and I’m about to show you why it’s not a good idea to be my enemy.”

Berger, 34, sounded irate in several of the calls, often belittling the call takers in profanity laced tirades that usually prompted the FBI employee to hang up on him.

Three days after the “enemy” call, Berger went to an FBI satellite office in Rolling Meadows. That’s where, prosecutors say, he tried to force his way inside.

“The defendant turned his words into action,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Kaitlin Klamann said during her opening statements.

Security cameras inside the building, at 1600 Golf Rd., captured Berger knocking on a nondescript door to the FBI offices. After a few moments, a woman opened the door. Berger put his left hand on the door and appeared to try to walk in, but the woman quickly yanked the door shut. Berger waved his arms and walked away. He returned a few seconds later and knocked on the door again before he left.

Once he left the building, Berger called 911 because he wanted to file a police report against the woman who shut the door.

He told the 911 dispatcher that he went to the FBI’s office “to talk to them about them trying to violate my rights.” Soon after, he drove himself to the Rolling Meadows police station.

Testimony is expected to conclude Friday, with closing arguments likely coming Monday.