A Savannah man has been found guilty at trial for making threatening phone calls to the Department of Veterans Affairs in December 2024.
Alexis Beatles, 44, of Hinesville, was convicted after a two-day jury trial in U.S. District Court on charges of Interstate Communications with Threats to Injure Another, said Margaret E. Heap, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. The convictions subject the Defendant to up to a total of 10 years of imprisonment, followed by a period of supervised release upon completion of any prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
Beatles was arrested on a criminal complaint in January and was later formally indicted by a federal grand jury. Savannah Police Department SWAT and EOD Teams assisted the FBI with making the arrest. As described at trial, on December 18, 2024, Beatles called a Department of Veterans Affairs hotline and made demands to the phone operator wherein he threatened to kill federal employees and others if his demands were not met. Beatles made numerous threats, including threatening to crash his car into the Savannah VA Clinic, to “destroy” U.S. citizens, to rig his home with explosives to kill any police officers that came to his home, and to kill the children of any officers who attempted to arrest him.
“Those who make threats against members of our community in violation of federal law will be held accountable, as we continue to work with our law enforcement partners to identify and bring to justice those who seek to intimidate and instill fear in our citizens,” said U.S. Attorney Heap.
“VA personnel and the veterans they serve should feel safe while working and receiving care within VA facilities,” said Special Agent in Charge David Spilker with the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General’s Southeast Field Office. “The VA OIG and our law enforcement partners are committed to identifying and stopping threats of terrorism and violence against VA personnel and operations.”
“Threats of violence against federal employees and our communities will never be tolerated,” said Paul Brown, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “This conviction demonstrates the FBI’s commitment to working with our partners to protect those who serve the public and to hold accountable anyone who seeks to cause fear and harm through threats.”
The case was being investigated by the FBI, with assistance from the Savannah Police Department and prosecuted for the United States by Assistant United States Attorneys L. Alexander Hamner and Darron Hubbard.
This is a press release from the US Department of Justice.
