MACON, Ga. – A Georgia man was sentenced to jail for threatening to kill the President of the US and blow up the White Home, following an investigation that included a number of demise threats issued in opposition to native judges, regulation enforcement and a menace letter containing a white powdery substance despatched to the U.S. Courthouse in Macon.
Travis Ball, 56, of Barnesville, Georgia, was sentenced to serve 33 months in jail to be adopted by three years of supervised launch and ordered to pay a $7,500 superb by Chief U.S. District Decide Marc Treadwell on Nov. 30 after he beforehand pleaded responsible to threats in opposition to the President. There isn’t any parole within the federal system.
“Sending demise threats and purported anthrax isn’t protected speech — it’s a crime,” mentioned U.S. Lawyer Peter D. Leary. “I applaud the investigative work by our federal and native regulation enforcement companions to safe justice on this case.”
“The sentencing in federal courtroom of Mr. Ball is commensurate with the wasted sources and concern generated by his hate-filled hoax anthrax letter marketing campaign,” mentioned Keri Farley, Particular Agent in Cost of FBI Atlanta. “Whereas Mr. Ball’s prison conduct clearly illustrates his lack of concern and compassion for others, it additionally illustrates an unwillingness to be rehabilitated.”
“The U.S. Secret Service works carefully with regulation enforcement and prison justice companions at each degree to research threats in opposition to our protectees,” mentioned U.S. Secret Service Resident Agent in Cost Clint Bush with the Albany, Georgia, Resident Workplace. “Our zero-fail mission requires a tireless dedication from 1000’s of brokers and investigators throughout the nation to make sure the nation’s highest elected officers are protected against criminals like Travis Ball. Those that perpetrate these crimes have to be held accountable for his or her actions, and we’re grateful for the sturdy partnership we get pleasure from with the Division of Justice.”
In accordance with courtroom paperwork and different proof, Ball despatched a sequence of letters utilizing one other particular person’s identify as an alias to quite a lot of native and county authorities workplaces and officers, together with judges with the Superior Courtroom of Jones County, Georgia, and the Jones County Sheriff’s Workplace in March 2021. On March 23, 2021, a menace letter signed with the identical identify and the identical return tackle was acquired on the U.S. District Courthouse for the Center District of Georgia, which contained a white powdery substance. At that time, federal regulation enforcement businesses, together with FBI, started investigating the supply of the letters and recognized Ball because the suspected creator.
On March 23, 2021, a warrant was executed at Ball’s residence and brokers famous that Ball was residing within the entrance lounge the place he slept on a cot and spent most of his time on a laptop computer pc and writing letters. One of many objects seized was a stack of white leaflet pocket book paper that matched the menace letters discovered on the mantle above his cot. The highest web page had the impression of a letter. Investigators calmly shaded the web page with a pencil and found that it contained an specific menace in opposition to the President of the US, Joseph R. Biden, dated on March 8, 2021, which said, “HATE YOU JOE BIDEN AND AM GOING TO KILL YOU AND YOUR FAMILY AND EVERYONE IN THE WHITEHOUSE! I’M A PSYCHO KILLER AND AM GOING TO BLOWUP THE WHITEHOUSE AND KILL EVERYONE IN IT! IM SERIOUS AND NOT KIDDING! LOCK ME UP OR ALL OF YOU WILL DIE! HAVE SOME ANTHRAX YOU BASTARDS!” The White Home Mail Sorting Facility acquired the letter on March 30, 2021, which was turned over to U.S. Secret Service.
Ball was convicted of felony hoax threats within the Northern District of Georgia in June 2017 after he despatched letters to the State Bar of Georgia and to Atlanta Newspapers in 2016 that contained a white powdery substance with threats to “kill all of you” and “have some anthrax.” Ball was sentenced to serve 24 months in jail to be adopted by three years of supervised launch on June 23, 2017.
The case was investigated by the FBI, the U.S. Secret Service and the Jones County Sheriff’s Workplace.
Assistant U.S. Lawyer Alex Kalim prosecuted the case for the Authorities.