TUCSON, Ariz. — Charles Morice Gilmore, 52, of Missouri, has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for mailing threatening communications and influencing a federal official by threat, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona announced. United States District Judge Angela M. Martinez handed down the maximum sentence last week, with terms to run concurrently.
Gilmore, a career offender with a long history of violent crimes, pleaded guilty to the charges on October 1, 2024.
Threats Made from Federal Prison
While incarcerated at the United States Penitentiary in Tucson, between February 28, 2023, and March 27, 2023, Gilmore mailed multiple threatening letters targeting federal officials:
- One letter, sent to a federal judge, falsely claimed there were remote-detonated bombs in the courthouse. The letter contained religious slurs and references to the Hells Angels and Ku Klux Klan.
- Another letter, sent to a federal prosecutor who had previously handled one of Gilmore’s cases, included pipe bomb construction instructions. Gilmore claimed he had distributed these instructions to others outside prison to carry out his plans.
- A third letter, addressed to a former cellmate, contained additional bomb-making instructions and a list of targeted locations. Authorities intercepted the letter before it could reach its recipient.
A Long History of Violent Offenses
Gilmore has a lengthy criminal record involving violent crimes and has been classified as a career offender. His most recent 10-year sentence will run concurrently with the following prior sentences:
- 10 years for mailing threatening communications in 2017
- 10 years for threatening federal officials in 2014
- 90 months for mailing threats to a federal judge in 2013
- 20 years for stabbing an inmate in Jefferson City, Missouri, in 2018
As part of a stipulated plea agreement, a separate case against Gilmore—related to a hoax bomb threat sent to a Missouri state courthouse—was dismissed.
Investigation and Prosecution
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) led the investigation into Gilmore’s latest offenses. The case was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona, Tucson.
Gilmore’s sentencing underscores the federal government’s commitment to holding offenders accountable for threats of violence against public officials and acts of domestic terror, even when carried out from inside prison walls.
