San Jose man sentenced to three years for IRS bomb threat

IRS headquarters in Washington, D.C.
IRS headquarters in Washington, D.C.

41-year-old Hung Ha of San Jose was sentenced on Wednesday to 36 months in prison for making bomb threats towards IRS employees at his local Taxpayer Assistance Center back in 2015, the Justice Department announced. The sentence was overseen by the Honorable Lucy Koh, U.S. District Judge, following a jury trial.

Indicted by a federal grand jury on April 22, 2015, Ha strongly believed he was a owed a tax refund by the IRS, according to the San Jose Mercury News, and made numerous visits to the Taxpayer Assistance Center starting in 2014. Ha also committed, among other malicious actions, "23 profanity-laced messages in a span of 45 minutes" and an in-person bomb threat towards the federal employees throughout the ordeal.

The Mercury News also reported that Ha was found to have a personality disorder by mental health professionals and was an identity theft victim, according to the defendant's attorney.

Ha was convicted on July 17 this year and charged with two counts of threatening federal officials, with the jury ultimately convicting the defendant on one count. Ha, currently in custody, will start serving his sentence promptly. Judge Koh additionally sentenced Ha to a three-year period of supervised release.

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