Man Sentenced for Bomb Hoax, Threat Against FBI

A Gwinnett County has been sentenced to prison for falsely reporting a plot to obtain bombs and blow up a local Walmart, and for threatening an FBI agent.

Maksim Mikhaiov Pikulev, 30, of Lilburn was sentenced to seven months in prison, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Atlanta; he pleaded guilty to the federal charges on Aug. 14. His prison time will be followed by three years of supervised release.

According to prosecutors, the charges and other information presented in court:

On Oct. 17, 2014, Pikulev called Atlanta’s FBI office and falsely reported two men asked him to build a bomb to blow up a Walmart. Pikulev said he planned to deliver two bombs in his possession to the men and to record the transaction for the FBI.

But when an FBI agent requested to see the bombs, Pikulev refused. The FBI eventually determined it was a hoax.

On Dec. 7, 2014, Pikulev called the FBI office in Washington D.C., and said he wanted to make a complaint against FBI Atlanta agents. He became agitated and angry after he was told to call the Atlanta office to make the complaint. Pikulev refused to call the FBI Atlanta office and threatened to kill the FBI agent who investigated his bomb hoax.

“Law enforcement officers who serve and protect the citizens of this district should not be subjected to threats of violence,” U.S. Attorney John Horn said in a news release. “Not only did Pikulev report a false bomb threat, which diverted critical law enforcement resources, but after the FBI agent investigating the matter discovered his claim was a hoax, Pikulev threatened to kill the agent.”