Shane G. Eaton, Making False Statement, Virginia 2015

Grimy Times, ROANOKE, VIRGINIA – Shane G. Eaton, 21, of Roanoke, Va., was sentenced to 14 days in jail for making a false statement to an agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Eaton, a Roanoke resident, previously waived his right to indictment and pleaded guilty to a one-count information charging him with willfully making a false statement in a matter within the jurisdiction of the executive branch of the government of the United States.

According to evidence presented during previous hearings by Assistant United States Attorney Daniel Bubar, Eaton walked into the downtown Roanoke offices of the FBI on March 12, 2015, and made a statement to an agent that his ex-girlfriend made threats against the life of the President of the United States and planned to join ISIS.

Agents conducted interviews with Eaton’s ex-girlfriend and her mother, determining that Eaton’s original statements were false. In subsequent interviews with Eaton, conducted on March 16, 2015, by agents with the FBI and the United States Secret Service, Eaton admitted that his prior statements were not truthful and that he lied about his ex-girlfriend in order to get her into trouble.

“Mr. Eaton falsely accused an ex-girlfriend of making threats against the President of the United States and of her intentions to join a known terrorist organization,” United States Attorney John P. Fishwick Jr. said today. “We take the act of making false statements to law enforcement extremely seriously. The actions of this defendant wasted valuable federal resources and subjected an innocent person to the scrutiny of a federal investigation.”

Eaton was fined $200 and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment as part of his sentence. The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the United States Secret Service, the Virginia State Police, and the Roanoke City Police Department, with Assistant United States Attorney Daniel Bubar prosecuting the case for the United States.

The case is a stark reminder of the importance of verifying information before making accusations. Eaton’s false statements not only caused harm to his ex-girlfriend but also wasted valuable resources and time for law enforcement agencies.

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