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September 21, 2022

Georgia Man Sentenced for Bomb Threat against IRS Office in New York

On August 11, 2022, in the Southern District of Georgia, Benjamin Stasko was sentenced for the interstate transmission of a threat to injure after he threatened to bomb an Internal Revenue Service (IRS) office located in New York, New York.

According to the court documents, on July 6, 2020, Stasko posted on a public website a bomb threat in which he claimed that a “highly explosive pipe bomb,” intended for the IRS, was placed inside the Federal building located at 290 Broadway, New York, New York. Law enforcement officers and bomb-sniffing canines responded to the Federal building, but did not locate an explosive device. Subsequent investigative efforts by TIGTA special agents identified Stasko as the person responsible for posting the threat. These efforts also revealed that Stasko had items at his residence believed to be the beginnings of a pipe bomb, along with notes explaining how he would blow up the IRS building.

Stasko was sentenced to time served (21 months), and three years’ supervised release.

Source:  The facts in this case narrative come from the following publicly available documents: S.D. Ga., Crim. Comp., filed Jul. 13, 2020; S.D. Ga., Indict., filed Aug. 5, 2020; S.D. Ga., Judgement, August 11, 2022; DOJ Press Release, August 11, 2022.