Macon Times

Travis Leroy Ball, a 56-year-old resident of Barnesville with a criminal history involving arson, has pleaded guilty to one count of mailing threatening communications. The Department of Justice announced the plea, which was entered before U.S. District Judge C. Ashley Royal.

U.S. Attorney Peter D. Leary stated in a press release by the Department of Justice: "Death threats against public officials are taken extremely seriously by our office and will result in prison time. Keeping people safe is the highest priority of our office and our law enforcement partners; these types of threats cannot and will not be tolerated."

Court documents reveal that Ball, under the pretense of being a U.S. Secret Service agent, sent a letter to Judge Marc T. Treadwell demanding the dismissal of charges in his federal case. Furthermore, using a former cell mate's name, Ball sent threatening letters in March and May 2023 to the U.S. District Court in Valdosta, Georgia, and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development in Washington, D.C., respectively. These letters contained threats to kill employees and burn down property. In July 2023, posing as an FBI agent, Ball wrote to the Upson County Sheriff’s Office, demanding the removal of his photos and personal information from jail records.

The investigation into this case was led by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), with support from several other agencies including the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Federal Protective Services, U.S. Secret Service, U.S. Marshals Service, and the Upson County Sheriff’s Office as per another press release by the Department of Justice. The court will determine Ball's sentencing; parole is not an option for him. He could potentially face up to five years in prison followed by three years of supervised release and a maximum fine of $250,000.