Allante Martanaze Arrington, Bomb Threats, VA 2017

Allante Martanaze Arrington, a 24-year-old Navy sailor based in Virginia Beach, has been sentenced to 15 months in federal prison for a string of bomb threats targeting his own command and fellow service members. The threats, made in August 2017, rattled Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek, triggering full-scale security lockdowns and explosive response protocols across multiple Navy units.

Court documents reveal Arrington made nearly a dozen threatening phone calls to U.S. Navy ships and on-base facilities, including gyms, a health clinic, and operational vessels. Though brief and deliberately vague, the messages carried enough weight to prompt immediate action: FBI explosive ordnance disposal teams, military working dog units, and base security forces mobilized repeatedly. Navy personnel were forced into shelter-in-place orders for hours as investigators scrambled to verify the threats.

What turned suspicion toward Arrington was digital evidence. Special agents with the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) traced the calls through cell tower data and phone records, quickly pinpointing his mobile device as the source. The fact that Arrington was assigned to one of the very ships he threatened added a chilling layer of betrayal to the case, raising questions about motive and command oversight.

The threats weren’t idle background noise—they were operational disruptions with real cost and consequence. Each alert pulled critical personnel from duty, delayed missions, and drained emergency resources. While no explosives were ever found, the pattern of calls demonstrated a deliberate effort to sow chaos within a key military installation, one that serves as a frontline hub for amphibious operations.

The sentencing, delivered today by U.S. District Judge Raymond A. Jackson in Norfolk, was announced by Tracy Doherty-McCormick, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Cliff Everton, Special Agent in Charge of NCIS Norfolk Field Office. The prosecution was handled by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney David A. Layne, who emphasized the severity of threatening military infrastructure during active operations.

Public records, including the original indictment and related filings, are available through the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia, as well as the District Court’s public docket system and PACER under Case No. 2:17-cr-135. The case stands as a stark reminder: even inside the ranks, the law draws a hard line at terrorizing the force.