INMATE SENTENCED FOR THREATENING FEDERAL OFFICIALS

PENSACOLA, FLORIDA – Noah D. Stirn, 30, an inmate with the U.S. Bureau of Prisons, was sentenced to 37 months in federal prison after previously pleading guilty to making true threats to kill and injure a Federal District Judge, the Federal Clerk of Courts, and threatening the use of explosives against the Federal Public Defender’s Office. The sentence was announced by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.

“The public should rest assured that my office will not tolerate repeat offenders threatening to endanger individuals for simply doing their jobs, especially those in public service.  If you make true threats to federal officials, you should know that we will take them seriously,” said United States Attorney Heekin.  “This sentence sends a strong message that we will protect our dedicated government employees, so that they may perform their jobs and serve the public without fear.”

Court documents reflect that Stirn mailed a letter threatening to kill a Federal District Judge for the Northern District of Florida and the Federal Clerk of Courts for the Northern District of Florida. Stirn also mailed a letter to the Federal Public Defender’s Office for the Northern District of Florida which contained threats involving the use of explosives and claimed al-Qaeda was inspiring and sponsoring the attack. Stirn was previously prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida for mailing similar threats, and he was sentenced to 110 months custody in the Bureau of Prisons on February 12, 2020. On July 10, 2025, U.S. District Judge T. Kent Wetherell sentenced Stirn to 37 months consecutive to his current 110-month sentence.

Greg Leljedal, Acting U.S. Marshal for the Northern District of Florida said: “Protecting the federal judiciary is a cornerstone of the U.S. Marshals Service.  Perpetrators that threaten to physically harm federal officials can expect swift and serious consequences for these illegal actions.”

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigations and the United States Marshals Service. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Harley W. Ferguson. 

The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General.  To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.