Gwinnett man gets prison for bomb, FBI threats
A Gwinnett County man was sentenced to seven months in federal prison after pleading guilty to a phony plot to bomb a Wal-Mart and threatening an FBI agent, the U.S. Attorney's Office said Monday.
On Oct. 17, 2014, Maksim Mikhaiov Pikulev of Lilburn called Atlanta’s FBI office and falsely reported that two men asked him to build a bomb to blow up a local Wal-Mart, U.S. Attorney John Horn’s office said in an emailed statement. During the investigation, Pikulev said he planned to deliver two bombs in his possession to the unknown males and to record the transaction for the FBI, according to investigators.
But when an FBI agent requested to see the bombs, Pikulev refused, and the FBI eventually determined the plan was a hoax.
Then on Dec. 7, Pikulev placed a call to the FBI office in Washington D.C. and said that he wanted to file a complaint against FBI-Atlanta agents, prosecutors said. Pikulev became agitated and angry during the recorded call after he was told to call the Atlanta Division to file his complaint. Pikulev refused to call the FBI Atlanta office and threatened to kill the FBI agent who investigated his bomb hoax.
“Law enforcement officers who serve and protect the citizens of this district should not be subjected to threats of violence,” Horn said. “Not only did Pikulev report a false bomb threat, which diverted critical law enforcement resources, but after the FBI agent investigating the matter discovered his claim was a hoax, Pikulev threatened to kill the agent.”
Pikulev, 30, pleaded guilty in August. Following his seven months in prison, Pikulev must spend three years on supervised release, Horn’s office said.
