Preston McWaters pleaded guilty to four counts of transmitting threats through interstate communication and two counts of conveying false information regarding explosive devices in July.
According to court documents, Mr. McWaters began sending threats in December 2015 to various Florida public schools. He also threatened to “blow up” JFK Medical Center in January over Twitter, according to a second Palm Beach Post article.
He was arrested in March on charges of identity theft after impersonating the boyfriend of a women who previously rejected his romantic advances. He reportedly sent the woman several death and rape threats from a fake account in her boyfriend’s name. Police said Mr. McWaters and the woman had been coworkers at one time.
During the sentencing hearing, Mr. McWaters said he threatened the woman because someone threatened to kill his family, according to the article.
Mr. McWaters originally struck an agreement with prosecutors to receive a 27-month sentence, but the deal was called off after he reportedly sent two more threats by mail while in police custody, according to the article. One threat was made against the U.S. Probation Service. The other was sent to Mr. McWaters’s former attorney.
In addition to the prison term, U.S. District Court Judge James I. Cohn also ordered Mr. McWaters to serve three years of probation once his prison term ends and pay a $600 fine.
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