U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced that Joseph Leone, 23, of Holland, N.Y., was arrested and charged by criminal complaint with maliciously conveying a false threat to use an explosive device on a building, a federal offense that carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, on April 26, 2026 Georgia Power received a private message on its public Instagram account claiming an employee had planted a detonation device inside company headquarters and demanding action tied to removal of a large oak tree on Little Neck Road in Savannah. The company notified law enforcement, which mobilized federal, state and local partners and fire department resources.
The response included evacuations and lockdowns at two Georgia Power headquarters facilities — in Atlanta and Savannah — and searches by bomb squads; no explosive device was located. The U.S. Attorney’s Office says the investigation traced the Instagram account used to send the message to Leone.
The criminal complaint is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles M. Kruly and the investigation was led by the FBI under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Allen D. Davis II. The press release and the attached complaint do not specify the dates of arrest, arraignment or the defendant’s current custody status.
Reporters and readers should note that additional court filings, local arraignment settings and booking information were not included in the release. The information above is based on a press release and an attached complaint from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Western District of New York.
