JONES COUNTY, Ga. — A Georgia man will spend nearly three years in prison after pleading guilty to sending a letter threatening to kill President Joe Biden as well as making threats against local judges in Jones County.
The U.S. Attorney's Office in Macon announced the 33-month month sentence on Thursday for 56-year-old Travis Ball of Barnesville, Georgia.
Federal prosecutors said Ball had sent a letter to the White House in March 2021 that, among other threats, told President Biden he would "kill you and your family and everyone in the White House."
According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, the letter said:
"HATE YOU JOE BIDEN AND AM GOING TO KILL YOU AND YOUR FAMILY AND EVERYONE IN THE WHITE HOUSE! I’M A PSYCHO KILLER AND AM GOING TO BLOWUP THE WHITE HOUSE AND KILL EVERYONE IN IT! IM SERIOUS AND NOT KIDDING! LOCK ME UP OR ALL OF YOU WILL DIE! HAVE SOME ANTHRAX YOU B*******!”
Additionally, Ball sent several other letters that same month to judges in the Jones County Superior Court as well as to the Jones County Sheriff's Office. The U.S. Attorney's Office said he also sent a letter with a "white powdery substance" in it to the federal courthouse in Macon.
It was not the first time Ball had made threats involving anthrax, federal prosecutors said. He had previously been convicted of felony hoax threats in 2017 after sending letters both to the State Bar of Georgi and newspapers in Atlanta with a white powdery substance and threats to "kill you all" and "have some anthrax," the U.S. Attorney's Office said. He was given a two-year prison sentence in that case.
In addition to the 33-month prison term in this case, Ball must pay a $7,500 fine and undergo three years of supervised release as part of his sentencing.
“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 in a statement. “While Mr. Ball’s criminal conduct clearly illustrates his lack of concern and compassion for others, it also illustrates an unwillingness to be rehabilitated.”
