Youngstown Man Indicted in Courthouse Bomb Threat

A Youngstown man is facing federal charges after allegedly threatening to blow up the city’s Municipal Court in a bid to delay his criminal case. Larese Kenneth Allen, Sr., 25, was indicted by a federal grand jury in Cleveland on two counts: making a bomb threat and being a felon in possession of a firearm.

The threat came on or about June 1, 2020, when an unknown caller reached the clerk’s office at the Youngstown Municipal Court. The caller, later tied to Allen, allegedly told a court clerk he was ‘coming from Cleveland to blow-up your courthouse.’ The threat triggered an immediate evacuation of all court staff and brought the Youngstown Police Department’s Bomb Squad rushing to the scene. A full sweep of the building turned up no explosives.

Investigators from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Mahoning Valley Violent Crimes Task Force traced the call to Allen. During a subsequent interview with law enforcement, Allen allegedly admitted he made the phone call to stall ongoing criminal proceedings against him. The intimidation attempt disrupted court operations and set off a multi-agency investigation.

The indictment unsealed this week marks the latest turn in a case that exposed vulnerabilities in local judicial security. Though no bomb was found, the threat forced emergency protocols, tying up critical law enforcement resources and instilling fear in court employees who were forced to evacuate under uncertain circumstances.

Larese Kenneth Allen, Sr. remains presumed innocent on both charges until proven guilty in court. If convicted, the judge will consider factors including his prior criminal record, his role in the offenses, and the nature of the violations. The statutory maximum penalties for these charges carry significant prison time, though actual sentences are typically less.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Yasmine Makridis. U.S. Attorney Justin Herdman emphasized that threats against judicial institutions will be met with the full weight of federal law. ‘Courthouses are sacred spaces of justice,’ Herdman said. ‘We will not tolerate attempts to intimidate or disrupt them.’

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