MACON, Georgia — A former security contractor who worked at the Athens-Clarke County Democratic Party’s coordinated campaign office has been sentenced to 18 months in prison for sending a message threatening to bomb their local headquarters from Georgia the day before U.S. senators were to visit sent out for campaign events.
Jessica Diane Higginbotham aka Jessica Harriod aka Jessica Jones, 35, of Elberton, Georgia, was sentenced July 31 by U.S. District Judge Tilman E. “Tripp” Self III to 18 months in prison followed by a two-year supervised release. Higginbotham pleaded guilty to one count of spreading a bomb threat on May 16. There is no parole in federal prison.
“Threats of violence aimed at disrupting the peace and disrupting the democratic process are taken seriously and will not be tolerated in Georgia’s Middle District,” said US Attorney Peter D. Leary. “I commend the many local and state law enforcement officials whose cooperation in this case has ensured a safe exit for our community.”
“The FBI and our partners take every threat seriously and will always conduct a thorough investigation and analysis of every threat to determine its credibility,” said Robert Gibbs, supervisory senior resident agent for the FBI’s Atlanta office in Macon. “Although Higginbotham’s threat was a hoax, valuable law enforcement resources were diverted and taxpayers’ money wasted. For this she will be held accountable by spending time behind bars.”
“The ACCPD takes threats of violence seriously. Upon learning of these threats, our officers and detectives worked with state and federal partners to identify and apprehend the perpetrator,” said Jerry Saulters, Athens-Clarke County Police Chief. “I appreciate the work of the US Attorney’s Office and we will continue to work together to keep our community safe.”
According to court documents, on December 3, 2022 at 6:01 p.m. in Athens, an employee of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) received a text message: “Hello, I am writing you this message to inform you that I am either tonight or come by tomorrow morning to detonate a bomb. So I can blow up all the Democrats. I also have other people who go to other offices. If I can’t stop you by breaking in and destroying the property, I’ll blow everyone up. So be prepared to get blown up. This will happen either tonight or tomorrow morning. I hope you like being on the wrong team.”
The FBI immediately began investigating the threat, and Athens-Clarke County Police Department (ACCPD) officers responded to the area where the threat existed. The US Senate runoff was scheduled for December 6 and elected officials were in Athens to attend campaign events, including the two US Senators from Georgia on December 4. FBI agents utilized a number of Emergency Disclosure Requests (EDRs). discovered the cellphone belonged to the defendant, who also worked as a contract security officer for a company employed by the local Democratic Coordinated Campaign. The U.S. Capitol Police also investigated the bomb threat and independently determined that the bomb threat was sent from Higginbotham’s cellphone.
On December 4, FBI task force officers located Higginbotham, cellphone in hand, at a coffee shop in Athens. When she saw the officers approaching her, she threw up. She initially denied sending the bomb threat. A federal search warrant was issued on her cell phone, linking the email account used for the bomb threat to her. While investigating the bomb threat, officials learned that a break-in had occurred at the local Democrats’ campaign building in Athens on November 27 and a laptop belonging to the campaign had been stolen. At the time of the burglary, investigators determined that the burglary appeared to be staged as tables were turned over but the building was locked and there was no evidence of forced entry. Investigators later recovered the stolen laptop containing Higginbotham’s personal belongings. Higginbotham now admits she deliberately used a mobile phone to threaten to kill or injure people and to unlawfully destroy a building with an explosive.
The case was investigated by the FBI, the US Capitol Police, the Athens-Clarke County Police Department and the Elbert County Sheriff’s Office.
Assistant Detective Chief Will R. Keyes ran the case.
