A Western New York man pleaded guilty on Monday in U.S. District Court in Buffalo to threatening to blow up power plants.
Assistant U.S. Attorney David J. Rudroff, who is handling the case, stated that on the evening of May 13, 2024, 40-year-old Justin Horton, of Stockton in Chautauqua County, called National Grid and stated “I’m calling to call a bomb threat into you. I’m going to blow up both of your nuclear power plants by the end of next week.” Horton specified that he was referring to nuclear power plants located in New York and Pennsylvania. The defendant did not have the means or intent to carry out the threat to bomb two nuclear facilities.
Horton pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Lawrence J. Vilardo to conveying false information and hoaxes, which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison, and a fine of $250,000.
