ATLANTA — A Mississippi man was sentenced to prison after officials said he threatened the Center for Disease Control and Prevention director in Atlanta.
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According to court documents, in July 2021, 39-year-old Robert Wiser Bates of Ridgeland, Mississippi, called the CDC office in Atlanta and left several voicemails for CDC Director Rochelle Walensky.
United States Attorney Darren J. LaMarca said the voicemails Bates left were determined to be threats.
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Investigators determined that Bates made similar threats towards Dr. Anthony Facui, Director of the National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Disease at the National Institutes of Health.
LaMarca said Bates was leaving these messages because he was angry with the COVID-19 vaccination program.
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Robert was indicted on Dec. 19, 2022, by a federal grand jury. He pled guilty and was sentenced to two years in prison for making threats in interstate commerce.
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