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White Powder Mailing Hoax Lands Prison Sentence
NASHVILLE – A Tennessee inmate has been sentenced to three years in federal prison for mailing a threatening communication and conveying false information while threatening to use a Weapon of Mass Destruction (WMD), announced Acting U.S. Attorney Mary Jane Stewart for the Middle District of Tennessee.
Jeffery Durance, 38, of Gatlinburg, Tennessee, was sentenced yesterday in U.S. District Court for his crimes. Durance was an inmate of the Tennessee Department of Correction at the time of the incident.
The crime occurred on September 6, 2018, when Durance mailed an envelope containing a white powder to the Commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Correction, Tony Parker. The envelope was sent through the U.S. Mail to the Tennessee Tower State Office Building in Nashville and contained a threatening letter, which caused a reasonable belief that the powder contained a biological agent or toxin, which would constitute a WMD.
The powder was later determined to be an inert material. Durance’s actions caused a significant disruption to the operation of the Tennessee Department of Correction and put the health and safety of employees at risk.
Durance pleaded guilty to the charges in March of this year. The case was investigated by the FBI; the Tennessee Highway Patrol; the Tennessee Department of Correction; the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department; and the Metropolitan Nashville Fire Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert S. Levine is prosecuting the case.
The case serves as a reminder of the serious consequences of mailing threatening communications and causing false alarms. Durance’s sentence is a testament to the severity of this crime and the importance of taking it seriously.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Tennessee will continue to work tirelessly to prosecute individuals who engage in this type of behavior and to keep our community safe.
Key Facts
- State: Tennessee
- Category: Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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