A Georgia man has been sentenced to 33 months in prison followed by three months of supervised release following threats he made against President Biden, the Department of Justice announced Thursday.
Law enforcement executed a warrant at Travis Ball’s residence in March 2021 and seized multiple letters that confirmed he was the one who sent the threats. The top page of a notebook bore the impressions of a letter that contained a violent threat against President Biden, per the Department of Justice (DOJ).
“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 letter read.
Ball had also made multiple death threats against various local judges and law enforcement personnel. The 56-year-old sent a letter containing a white powdery substance to the U.S. Courthouse in Macon, according to the DOJ. (RELATED: ‘I Don’t Know’: Biden Makes Ambiguous Statement On 2024 Run)
Ball pleaded guilty to making the threats on November 30. In addition to the prison and morale sentence, Chief U.S. District Judge Marc Treadwell has also ordered Ball to pay a $7,500 fine.
“Sending death threats and purported anthrax is not protected speech — it is a crime,” U.S. Attorney Peter D. Leary said. “I applaud the investigative work by our federal and local law enforcement partners to secure justice in this case.”
WILMINGTON, DE – DECEMBER 28: A member of the Secret Service monitors activity as President-elect Joe Biden delivers remarks at the Queen Theater on December 28, 2020 in Wilmington, Delaware. (Photo by Mark Makela/Getty Images)
“The sentencing in federal court of Mr. Ball is commensurate with the wasted resources and concern generated by his hate-filled hoax anthrax letter campaign,” Keri Farley, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta, said.
Ball was previous convicted of felony hoax threats in the Northern District of Georgia in 2017 when he sent letters to the State Bar of Georgia and to Atlanta Newspapers that contained a white powdery substance and explicit death threats. Ball was sentenced to serve 24 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release in June 2017.