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A federal jury convicted a
Mark William Anten, 52, of Sun Valley, was found guilty of
two counts of threats by interstate communication. He has been in federal
custody since December 2023.
According to evidence presented at a three-day trial, from
July 2023 to December 2023, Anten sent a series of increasingly threatening
communications to the FBI, culminating in two threats to bomb the FBI field
office in Westwood.
"This verdict should make clear that the Justice
Department has no tolerance for threats of violence against the FBI,” said
Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “The men and women of the FBI are
courageous public servants who do their work with integrity and skill, and we
will stop at nothing to hold accountable those who threaten them with
violence."
“Law enforcement officers put their lives on the line to
keep our community safe and therefore deserve our thanks and respect,” said
These emails included repeated references to Theodore John
Kaczynski, also known as “The Unabomber,” whose 20-year bombing campaign killed
three people and injured nearly two dozen more. Kaczynski was convicted of
federal crimes, spent the bulk of his prison sentence in the Supermax federal
prison in
On
On
The next day, Anten wrote to FBI agents, “I can go on a mass
murder spree. In fact it would be very explainable by your actions.” He
concluded the email with, “[y]ou ain’t getting away with this one,” and signed
the email, “SuperMax or Death.”
Anten also sent FBI agents an email, which attached a
photograph depicting the results of an internet search for “how to make a dirty
bomb.”
Later that day, Anten visited the FBI Los Angeles Field
Office and later emailed agents that he visited their building and would
continue to do so. Surveillance footage confirmed Anten’s presence there.
Anten was convicted of two counts of threats by interstate
communication. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 13 and faces a
statutory maximum sentence of five years in prison for each count. A federal
district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S.
Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The FBI is investigating the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Clifford D. Mpare and Kedar S.
Bhatia for the Central District of California are prosecuting this case.
Updated