AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – A Richmond County man has been sentenced after pleading guilty to federal charges related to a Last year there was a bomb threat against the Augusta office of the Social Security Administrationwe found out on Thursday.

Keyon Tishaye Dickens, 38, of Augusta, was sentenced to 36 months in prison after pleading guilty to making threats by telephone to injure a person or damage a building with explosives, according to prosecutors.

U.S. District Court Judge J. Randal Hall also ordered Dickens to serve three years of supervised release after completing his sentence.

There is no parole in the federal system.

“Threats of violence against workers and customers of any establishment are completely unacceptable,” said U.S. Attorney Steinberg. “We commend our law enforcement partners for ensuring the safety of Social Security Administration employees and helping to hold Keyon Dickens accountable for his actions.”

He could have faced up to 10 years in prison.

As described in the plea agreement, Dickens received notice in September 2023 that the Social Security Administration intended to recoup overpayments on his Supplemental Security Income from future checks.

He called the Social Security Administration office in Augusta to complain, declaring, “I’m going to blow up the office. I haven’t decided what I’m going to do yet.”

Dickens visited the office on October 10, 2023, wearing a backpack and showing a security guard a note that said “I have a bomb.”

The officer notified the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office and the building was cordoned off and evacuated. No bomb was found and Richmond County officers took Dickens into custody.

“Keyon Dickens’ malicious actions are criminal and intolerable. This sentence shows that threats to Social Security employees and offices are a criminal offense and cannot be ignored. We will continue to aggressively respond to threats, investigate and prosecute perpetrators,” said Michelle L. Anderson, Acting SSA Inspector General. “I am grateful that no harm was caused to SSA employees. I appreciate the immediate response of security officials at the local SSA office, the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office, the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives in investigating this matter and thank the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the prosecution Case.”

The case was investigated by the FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Social Security Administration Office of the Inspector General, and the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office and was prosecuted for the United States by Assistant United States Attorney George J. C. Jacobs III.

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