Related Federal Cases
Bomb Hoax at Federal Building Sends City into Lockdown
ANCHORAGE, Alaska – A shocking incident unfolded in Anchorage on June 11, 2024, when a man allegedly made a false bomb threat at a federal building, sparking a massive evacuation and a subsequent investigation.
According to court documents, James Pearce, 40, of Anchorage, made statements under circumstances where it may reasonably have been believed that explosive devices had been placed at the James Fitzgerald Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse, as well as six other locations around Anchorage. Pearce’s claims, which included references to terrorist groups Al-Qaeda and ISIS and the bombing of the federal building in Oklahoma City, sent the city into a state of panic.
The FBI Anchorage Field Office, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Anchorage Field Office, Homeland Security Investigation, Federal Protective Service, and the Anchorage Police Department sprang into action, providing significant law enforcement support in the wake of the incident.
Pearce was arrested on-site and taken into custody, bringing an end to the ordeal. He is now facing a charge of a bomb hoax at a federal building, in violation of 18 U.S.C. §1038(a)(1), which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Will Taylor and Mac Caille Petursson will be prosecuting the case, which is still in its early stages. Pearce is set to make his initial court appearance on a later date before a U.S. Magistrate Judge of the U.S. District Court for the District of Alaska.
An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
The investigation into the bomb hoax is ongoing, and authorities are urging anyone with information to come forward.
Key Facts
- State: Alaska
- Category: Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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