Federal Arrest Made in Series of Threatening Hoax Calls to Omaha Area Schools and Businesses

Acting United States Attorney Jan Sharp announced that FBI agents arrested Andrew Isaac Abrams of Tucson, Arizona, today on a complaint charging Abrams with transmitting a series of threats in interstate commerce on April 23, 2021.  The threats targeted Omaha area schools, including Millard Public Schools, Elkhorn Schools, and Westside Community Schools, and Abrams is further alleged to have made threats to Union Pacific Railroad Headquarters and the Douglas County Courthouse.

If convicted of transmitting the threats in interstate commerce, Abrams will face up to five years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and up to three years of supervised release for each count of conviction. 

After Abrams’s arrest, FBI Omaha Special Agent in Charge Eugene Kowel said, “Hoax threats directed at schools and businesses cause fear and put people at risk.  It’s not a joke, it's a crime. Hoax threats disrupt school, waste limited law enforcement resources, and put first responders in unnecessary danger. The FBI takes each threat seriously.  We will always work along with our law enforcement partners to investigate, identify, and apprehend the perpetrators responsible for hoax threats like this one.”

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Omaha Police Department, and the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office.