EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. – A district judge in southern Illinois sentenced a Florida man to 87 months’ imprisonment after he used social media to make a bomb threat to Scott Air Force Base and cyberstalked an active duty Air Force member.
DeAyre M. Jones, 32, of Land O’ Lakes, Florida, pleaded guilty to one count of interstate communication with threat to injure, one count of cyberstalking and one count of threatening and conveying false information concerning use of fire or an explosive.
“The defendant intentionally disrupted operations at Scott Air Force Base to make a bomb threat and send harassing messages to base officials,” said U.S. Attorney Rachelle Aud Crowe. “Luckily, this incident was a false alarm, but our national security and the Air Force community depend on uninterrupted service at the base. I’m grateful to the investigators for their efforts to hold this offender accountable.”
According to court documents, Jones used multiple fake Facebook profiles to accuse a woman, whom he previously had a personal relationship with, of having a bomb and tracker attached to her car at Scott Air Force Base in September 2022.
“This successful joint investigation between our office, the FBI, and assistance by the Untied States Marshall Service sends the message that we treat any disruption to the Air Force mission very seriously. The tireless efforts of all teams involved ensured the base remained safe and fully operational at all times,” said Special Agent Joseph Straus, AFOSI Detachment 301, Commander.
After detecting the threat, base officials dispatched an explosive detection canine and the Explosive Ordinance Disposal team to search the suspected vehicle and surrounding lot but did not find any items of concern. The victim identified Jones as the potential suspect, and investigation revealed that he had created multiple fake Facebook profiles to harass the victim and make several bomb threats to the base.
“DeAyre Jones embarked on a campaign of harassment that brought extreme distress to the victim and led to a hoax bomb threat which created chaos in the day-to-day operations of Scott Airforce Base,” said Special Agent in Charge Christopher Johnson. “Hoax threats cause a significant drain on resources and taxpayer dollars and put innocent people at risk. Because safety is paramount to the FBI and our law enforcement partners, we will use all available resources to investigate and determine the credibility of a bomb threat.”
In addition, Jones also admitted to sending threatening and harassing messages to the victim and other base officials from August through December 2022.
The U.S. Air Force Office of Special Investigations and the FBI Springfield Field Office contributed to the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel S. Carraway prosecuted the case.
