WASHINGTON, D.C – The Department of Justice announced Tuesday that, George Russell Isbell Jr., 69, of San Diego, was charged in a criminal complaint with mailing a threatening communication after his arrest Oct. 7 in San Diego.
Attorney General Pamela Bondi said the arrest stemmed from coordinated work among state, local and federal law enforcement. Bondi said investigators located a letter mailed from San Diego on or about Sept. 18 that threatened to injure a media personality located in Tampa, Florida, and stated the victim “needed to be exterminated.” The letter referenced a recently killed associate and included language such as, “Maybe someone will blow your head off!!! We can hope! Planning any public engagements? Love to see your head explode and your blood stain the concrete red.”
FBI Director Kash Patel said the FBI and its partners “will not tolerate threats of violence like the kind allegedly made by the defendant about a media personality.” U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe for the Middle District of Florida said the office takes all threats of violence seriously and will prosecute authors of threatening communications.
If convicted, Isbell faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The FBI Tampa Field Office and the Tampa Police Department are investigating, with assistance from the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. Additional support was provided by the FBI San Diego Field Office, the San Diego Police Department, and the San Diego County Sheriff’s Office. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Wheeler III for the Middle District of Florida is prosecuting the case.
