Man Sentenced for Threats to CIA and State Department Officials

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A Herndon man was sentenced today to 57 months in prison for threatening to murder officials and employees of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and the U.S. State Department.

According to court documents, William Lewis Weaver, II, 36, posted multiple messages to Twitter and Pastebin in August and September 2017 regarding his intent to “shotgun” and bomb the CIA and the U.S. State Department. Weaver’s communications indicate that his threats were motivated by his anger toward the CIA and the State Department. On or about Sept. 11, 2017, Weaver sent his landlord a text message that his “focus” was on “shotguns and bombs,” and a few days later, on or about Sept. 15, 2017, Weaver attempted to purchase a shotgun from a store in Sterling. Law enforcement arrested Weaver the next day.

Tracy Doherty-McCormick, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, Andrew W. Vale, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, and Bartle B. Gorman, Deputy Assistant Secretary for the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service, made the announcement after sentencing by Senior U.S. District Judge Claude M. Hilton. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alexander P. Berrang and Nathaniel Smith III prosecuted the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information is located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:17-cr-235.