Man claimed pipe bomb was planted at IRS office in NY, feds say. He faces prison time
A coastal Georgia man could find himself in prison after he was accused of threatening to blow up an Internal Revenue Service office in New York, federal prosecutors say.
Benjamin Stasko, 34, of St. Simons Island, pleaded guilty Wednesday, June 1, to a count of interstate transmission of a threat to injure in connection with online threats he made in 2020, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Georgia.
On July 6, Stasko allegedly posted a comment on a federal agency’s website claiming a pipe bomb was planted inside the Ted Weiss Federal Building in New York City, according to a news release. The threat was aimed at an IRS office housed at the building and promised to “kill, injure or intimidate others by detonating the highly explosive” bomb, according to an indictment.
Officers brought in bomb sniffing dogs to search the building, but no explosives were found. Stasko was later arrested in St. Simons Island, prosecutors said.
Authorities did not say if he had a specific motive.
If convicted, Stasko faces up to 5 years in prison followed by three years of supervised release and a hefty fine, prosecutors said.
“We will not tolerate threats of violence against public institutions, and will vigorously pursue anyone who would perpetrate such crimes,” U.S. Attorney David H. Estes, said in a statement. “Benjamin Stasko’s admission of guilt will deliver justice for his dangerous and ill-advised threat.”
St. Simons Island is about 80 miles south of Savannah.
This story was originally published June 3, 2022 at 8:07 AM with the headline "Man claimed pipe bomb was planted at IRS office in NY, feds say. He faces prison time."