MACON, Ga. (WRBL) — A security contractor pleaded guilty to threatening to bomb the Athens-Clarke County headquarters of the Democratic Senatorial Committee Campaign (DSCC), according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office of Middle Districts of Georgia.
Jessica Diane Higginbotham aka Jessica Harriod aka Jessica Jones, 35, of Elberton, Georgia, pleaded guilty today before a U.S. District court. She faces a maximum sentence of ten years and a $250,000 fine. Sentencing is scheduled for Sept. 7.
According to court documents, on Dec. 3, 2022, an employee of the DSCC in Athens received a text message: “Hello, I am writing this message to you to let you know that I am coming by either tonight or in the morning to set a bomb up. So I can blow all the Democrats up. I have other people going to other offices also. If I can’t stop you by breaking in and destroying the property then I will blow everyone up. So be ready to be blown up. This is going to either happen tonight or in the morning. Hope you like being on the wrong team.”
The U.S. Senate runoff election was scheduled on Dec. 6 and elected officials were in Athens participating in campaign events, including both U.S. Senators from Georgia. Attorney’s Office says by using a series of emergency disclosure requests (EDRs), FBI agents discovered the cell phone belonged to the defendant, who was employed as a contract security officer for the DSCC. The U.S. Capitol Police also independently determined that the bomb threat was sent from Higginbotham’s cell phone.
The Attorney’s Office states the FBI task force officers located Higginbotham at a coffee shop in Athens with the cell phone in her hands. A federal search warrant was executed on her cell phone, which linked the email account used in the bomb threat to her.
While investigating the bomb threat, agents also recovered a laptop, stolen from the DSCC office in Higginbotham’s personal items, said Atterney's Office. She now admits to using a cell phone to willfully threaten to kill or injure people and unlawfully destroy a building with an explosive.
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