A defendant recorded from jail making threats against a federal official involved in his case has been sentenced to 151 months in federal prison.
Jonathan Dunlap, 30, of Pine Mountain was sentenced Monday by U.S. District Judge Clay Land after pleading guilty to cocaine distribution charges and threatening a federal official.
There is no parole in the federal system.
On July 24, 2019, Drug Enforcement Administration officers and local deputies served a search warrant at Dunlap’s home. Dunlap was present, and law enforcement officials found eight individually wrapped bags of cocaine.
While awaiting trial in the county Jail, Dunlap placed several recorded telephone calls to his associates, making threats against a DEA agent associated with his case, including threats against the agent’s children. In one call, Dunlap attempted to find out the agent’s home address.
“Threats against law enforcement officers are taken extremely seriously, and for good reason,” said U.S. Attorney Charlie Peeler. “These officers make tremendous sacrifices protecting all of us. The last thing they deserve is to be threatened for simply doing their job.”
”A threat to a DEA agent anywhere is a threat to an agent everywhere,” said Robert Murphy, special agent in charge of the DEA’s Atlanta field division. “This sentencing should serve as a reminder to other criminals who seek to threaten a DEA agent that if you are brazen enough to commit such a criminal act, a long prison term awaits you.”
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