Facebook Threats Lead to Felony Conviction for Fairhope Man

United States Attorney Richard W. Moore of the Southern District of Alabama announces that United States District Court Judge William H. Steele sentenced Matthew Dean Adams on August 14, 2018 to time served since his incarceration on February 22, 2018 for participating in interstate threatening communications.  Adams was ordered to have no contact with his victims and must successfully complete 3 years of supervised release.

Adams pled guilty to making interstate threatening communications on May 15, 2018. As part of his guilty plea, Adams admitted that on January 25, 2018, Adams contacted the husband of his ex-girlfriend, who was in Orange Beach, Alabama, both via phone and through a series of messages on Facebook Messenger, threatening to kill him and his son.  Adams stated, “I’m coming brother, say goodbye to your [son]...”  He also continued to harass and threaten the individual, at one point sending a message that included a photo of Adams holding an assault rifle. 

Law Enforcement was able to confirm that Adams was outside of Alabama when he sent the threatening messages to his victims within the state.

The Orange Beach Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated this case. Assistant United States Attorneys Sean Costello and Christopher Baugh prosecuted the case for the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Alabama.