Aikens set off an explosive device nearby a payday lender in
an attempt to extort $10,000
ALEXANDRIA, La. – A federal grand jury has returned an
indictment against Daniel Dewayne Aikens, 37, of Alexandria, charging him with
one count of making a threat by telephone, announced David C. Joseph, United
States Attorney for the Western District of Louisiana.
According to the indictment, on January 2, 2020, Aikens used
a cell phone to contact an employee of PayDay Today and made a threatening
demand for $10,000 in cash. He initially spoke to the employee about a set of
lost keys. While the employee was in the parking lot looking for the keys, a
device exploded in a trash can near the building. Aikens told the employee that
he had caused the explosion and threatened another explosion if he was not
given $10,000 in cash. Aikens was discharged from his position as a
commissioned officer in the Louisiana National Guard shortly after his arrest
in connection with this incident.
If convicted, Daniel Aikens faces up to 10 years in prison,
three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives
(ATF), FBI, Rapides Parish Sheriff’s Office, Alexandria Police Department, U.S.
Marshal’s Service, Louisiana State Police, and the Alexandria Fire Department
investigated the case, with the assistance of the Alexandria Public Safety
Commissioner and the City of Alexandria Mayor’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney
Jamilla A. Bynog is prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an accusation and a defendant is
presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
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