Davenport, Iowa — A calculated act of digital terror landed America Yegile Haileselassie, 39, of Bettendorf, behind bars for five years after he admitted to orchestrating a bomb threat that paralyzed Scott Community College in 2015. On February 13, 2018, U.S. District Chief Judge John A. Jarvey handed down the 60-month prison sentence following Haileselassie’s guilty plea to interstate communication of a bomb threat. The court also ordered him to serve one year of supervised release and pay $100 to the Crime Victims’ Fund.
The chaos began on November 4, 2015, when staff at SCC’s Student Success Center stumbled upon a chilling message spewing from a printer: “There is a bomb at Scott Community College. It will explode at noon today.” Dozens of copies had already printed. A quick-thinking employee killed the print job mid-stream — but not before catching an email address tied directly to Haileselassie flashing on the screen. Campus authorities went into lockdown, bomb protocols were activated, and every corner of the campus was scoured. No device was found. The only explosive was the fear he triggered.
Investigators from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Scott County Sheriff’s Office, and Bettendorf Police Department peeled back the digital trail. They uncovered that Haileselassie, then a student at SCC, had sent the threat remotely by accessing the college’s network. Just days before, he’d been warned he’d be suspended for stealing a book — a grudge that seemingly ignited his reckless retaliation. He admitted to sending the message, knowing full well it would trigger a crisis.
But Haileselassie didn’t stop at the threat. While investigators closed in, he launched a cover-up, sending false anonymous tips to law enforcement pointing the finger at another individual. That act of deception triggered a sentencing enhancement for obstruction of justice. The court found he not only caused a substantial disruption at SCC — halting classes, mobilizing emergency responders, and instilling panic — but also wasted critical law enforcement resources chasing his lies.
U.S. Attorney Marc Krickbaum, who prosecuted the case through the Southern District of Iowa, emphasized the seriousness of weaponizing digital communication to spread fear. “A hoax is not a joke when it triggers a bomb scare,” Krickbaum said. “The cost — in time, money, and public trust — is real. This sentence sends a clear message: threaten a community, and you will pay.”
The joint investigation by federal and local authorities closed a three-year chapter of deception and disruption. Haileselassie now begins his 60-month sentence with nothing but time to reflect on the fallout of a digital tantrum turned federal crime. For SCC, the memory of that November morning remains a stark reminder: in the age of connectivity, a single keystroke can ignite a crisis.
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