A federal jury has convicted a California man for sending threatening emails to the FBI, including threats to bomb its Los Angeles Field Office and references to the notorious "Unabomber." Mark William Anten, 52, of Sun Valley, was found guilty of two counts of threats by interstate communication. He has been in federal custody since December 2023.
Evidence presented during a three-day trial revealed that from July 2023 to December 2023, Anten sent a series of increasingly threatening communications to the FBI. These culminated in two threats to bomb the FBI field office in Westwood.
"This verdict should make clear that the Justice Department has no tolerance for threats of violence against the FBI," said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. "The men and women of the FBI are courageous public servants who do their work with integrity and skill, and we will stop at nothing to hold accountable those who threaten them with violence."
"Law enforcement officers put their lives on the line to keep our community safe and therefore deserve our thanks and respect," said U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada for the Central District of California. "Those who threaten the FBI and other law enforcement officers ignore the daily sacrifices these officers make to protect us and undermine the rule of law. We will continue to stand with our law enforcement partners."
The emails included repeated references to Theodore John Kaczynski, also known as "The Unabomber," whose 20-year bombing campaign killed three people and injured nearly two dozen more. Kaczynski was convicted of federal crimes, spent most of his prison sentence in a Supermax federal prison in Colorado, and died in another federal prison last year.
On November 20, 2023, two FBI task force officers interviewed Anten outside his residence. During this interview, Anten admitted sending previous communications but was admonished by officers to cease contacting agents. Despite this warning, Anten's conduct escalated.
On December 5, 2023, Anten sent an email stating, "I AM THE UNABOMBER" and "I WILL UNABOMB THE LOS ANGELES FBI HQ." The following day he wrote another email saying he could go on a mass murder spree due to their actions and concluded with "[y]ou ain’t getting away with this one," signing it as “SuperMax or Death.”
Anten also emailed agents a photograph depicting search results for "how to make a dirty bomb." Later that day he visited the FBI Los Angeles Field Office and subsequently emailed agents about his visit; surveillance footage confirmed his presence there.
Anten faces sentencing on September 13 and could receive up to five years in prison for each count. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The case is being investigated by the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Clifford D. Mpare and Kedar S. Bhatia for the Central District of California are prosecuting this case.