Toombs Man Pleads Guilty to Bomb Threat

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A Toombs County man is awaiting sentencing after recently pleading guilty to False Information and Hoaxes for his bomb threat on the Port of Savannah following an investigation conducted by the FBI, Georgia Ports Authority Police, and the Vidalia Police Department.

Elliot Sherman, also known as “Amir Turner,” 23, of Vidalia, was working for a staffing agency that had assigned him to the California Cartage CFS 2 Building at the Port of Savannah in 2020. Sherman was dismissed from his assignment early on September 11, 2020, and called in a bomb threat in hopes that the rest of the workers who carpooled with him to work would also be dismissed early, allowing him to travel home sooner. U.S. Attorney David H. Estes commented on the case. “Elliott Sherman’s phoned-in bomb hoax shut down two warehouses, sparked a protracted investigation, and caused a large number of fellow workers to be sent home early – just so he could get a quicker ride home,” remarked Estes. “To make matters worse, his stunt took place on the anniversary of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. He will pay the penalty for his ill-timed threat.”

Acting Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta also spoke on the incident. “Hoax threats waste limited law enforcement resources, cost taxpayers’ money, and cause emotional distress to all involved,” he said. “The FBI will not tolerate hoax threats and will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to prosecute anyone who engages in this unlawful behavior.”

Sherman’s case is being processed for the United States by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jennifer G. Solari and Joshua S. Bearden. His guilty plea subjects him to a possible five years in prison, along with restitution and substantial financial penalties, and three years of supervised release after completion of prison term. He is not eligible for parole, as there is no parole in the federal system.