RALEIGH – Grotez Simpson of New York City, New York, age 25, was sentenced to three years followed by three years of supervised release, for conveying false information concerning an alleged attempted attack on a mass transportation vehicle. On May 25 and May 26, 2022, Simpson sent fake bomb threats to Amtrak concerning its daily train from Miami to New York City.
“Hoaxes are no joke,” said U.S Attorney Michael F. Easley, Jr. “Bomb threats on mass transit get real prison time. This three-year prison sentence sends a strong message that we will not normalize threats of mass violence in this country.”
According to court documents, Simpson boarded the 92 Silver Start in Fort Lauderdale, Florida on its way to New York City. During the trip, Simpson repeatedly texted Amtrak’s “Txt-a-Tip” phone application. In those text messages, Simpson claimed on multiple occasions there was a bomb on-board the train located in another passenger’s luggage. While pleading with Amtrak to stop the train, Simpson stated he was a military veteran and knew what a bomb looked like.
Based on those repeated tips, the Amtrak Police Department and the Orange County Sheriff’s Office in Orange County, Florida, stopped the train just outside of Orlando, Florida. They had the approximately 225 passengers, including Simpson, deboard the train. During the next roughly five hours, law enforcement swept the train and did not find any explosive devices. After the delay, the passengers reboarded the train and continued their journey to New York. The next morning, Simpson made further claims that there was a bomb on board the train. As the train continued to its destination, Special Agents with the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) Joint Terrorism Task Force determined that the threats had come from Simpson. When the train reached Raleigh, FBI agents took Simpson into custody.
Michael F. Easley, Jr., U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after U.S. District Judge James C. Dever III sentenced the defendant. The Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Logan Liles prosecuted the case.
