NEWARK, N.J. – A Georgia man is accused of sending threatening emails to a New Jersey company executive, prompting a federal investigation into the matter.
Alan Wallace, 58, of Cumming, Georgia, is charged by criminal complaint with two counts of making interstate threats, according to Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig. He is scheduled to appear today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Russell G. Vineyard in Atlanta federal court.
The complaint alleges that from January 2021 to March 2021, Wallace, a former employee of Company-1, sent threatening email communications to Victim-1, an executive officer of Company-1, a publicly traded company with headquarters in New Jersey. Victim-1’s Company-1 email account received the emails every few days beginning on Jan. 11, 2021, and continuing through early March 2021, with more sporadic emails arriving thereafter. The emails were sent to Victim-1 from an anonymous email service.
The emails threatened violence to Victim-1 and to Victim-1’s family if Company-1’s stock did not exceed a certain share value within 30 days. The threats contained ominous subject lines such as, “Gun or Knife,” “Blood Bath,” and “You about sealed your family’s fate,” and content consistent with those subject lines. For example, an email received on Jan. 31, 2021, read: “[Victim-1] – you are about to lose family due to your actions hurting others and inaction to elevate the stock price. Weep and remember.”
The counts of making interstate threats each carry a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine, or twice the gross amount of gain or loss from the offense, whichever is greater.
Acting U.S. Attorney Honig credited special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge George M. Crouch Jr. in Newark and Special Agent in Charge Chris Hacker in Atlanta, with the investigation leading to the charges.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys David W. Feder and Anthony P. Torntore of the U.S. Attorney’s Cybercrime Unit in Newark.
The charges and allegations in the complaint are merely accusations, and the defendant is considered innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Alan Wallace, a 58-year-old resident of Cumming, Georgia, is charged with two counts of making interstate threats. He is scheduled to appear today in Atlanta federal court.
Wallace, a former employee of Company-1, allegedly sent threatening emails to Victim-1, an executive officer of the company, from January 2021 to March 2021. The emails threatened violence to Victim-1 and their family if Company-1’s stock did not exceed a certain share value within 30 days.
The maximum penalty for each count of making interstate threats is five years in prison and a $250,000 fine, or twice the gross amount of gain or loss from the offense, whichever is greater.
Wallace is considered innocent unless and until proven guilty, and the charges and allegations in the complaint are merely accusations.
Related Federal Cases
Key Facts
- State: New Jersey
- Category: Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
ðŸâ€Â’ Get the grimiest stories delivered weekly. Subscribe free →
