Man sentenced in October 2023 bomb threat at Augusta Social Security office

A Richmond County man was recently sentenced to federal prison after threatening to blow up Augusta’s Social Security office nearly a year ago.

Keyon Tishaye Dickens, 39, of Augusta, was sentenced to three years in prison after pleading guilty to using a telephone to make a threat to injure a person or damage a building by explosives, according to a news release from Jill E. Steinberg, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia.

U.S. District Court Judge J. Randal Hall also ordered Dickens to serve three years of supervised release upon completion of his prison term, according to the release. There is no parole in the federal system.

As described in court documents and testimony, Dickens received a notice in September 2023 that he was receiving overpayments to his Supplemental Security Income and that the Social Security Administration intended to recoup the funds from future SSI checks, according to the release.

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In response, Dickens called the Social Security Administration office in Augusta and said, “I’m going to shoot the office up and I’m going to blow it up. I haven’t decided yet what I’m going to do,” according to the release.

Carrying a backpack, Dickens later visited the Social Security office and showed the security guard a note that read, “I have a bomb,” according to the release. The officer notified the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office, and the building was locked down and evacuated.

No bomb was found, and Richmond County deputies took Dickens into custody, according to previous reporting.

“Keyon Dickens’ malicious actions are criminal and intolerable,” said Michelle L. Anderson, acting SSA Inspector General. “This sentence demonstrates that threats to Social Security employees and offices are felonious and will not be ignored. We will continue to aggressively respond to threats, investigate the perpetrators and seek prosecution.”

This article originally appeared on Augusta Chronicle: Man sentenced in Augusta bomb threat at Social Security Administration