Holland man arrested, charged with threatening to blow up Georgia power plant
BUFFALO, N.Y. / Wednesday, September 30, 2026 - U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that Joseph Leone, 23, of Holland, NY, was arrested and charged by criminal complaint with maliciously conveying a false threat to use an explosive device on a building, which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.
On April 26, 2026, Georgia Power (GA Power), which operates nuclear power plants in the State of Georgia, received a private message on its publicly available Instagram account (ga_power) stating the following: “I am active employee at GA Power. I have planted a detonation device inside your office headquarters. You have until Friday 5pm ON THE DOT to figure out a way to make things right to the citizens of Little Neck Rd in Savannah, where you cut down their 300 year old oak.” The message was sent from an Instagram account with the username “joe_1eone.”
GA Power alerted law enforcement, which resulted in significant responses from federal, state, and local resources, as well as fire department resources for an extended period of time. The threat also halted work and led to evacuation and lock down at two headquarters facilities, one in Atlanta, Georgia, and one in Savannah, Georgia. Bomb squads, supported by police and fire resources, swept the facilities for explosive devices. The lockdown had significant operational and financial implications for both facilities and created a massive fear implication for Georgia Power. Ultimately, no explosive device was located.
Subsequent investigation traced the username “joe_leone” to the defendant.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles M. Kruly. The complaint is the result of an investigation by FBI, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Allen D. Davis, II.
# # # #
Contact
Barbara Burns
716-843-5817
Source: U.S. Attorney's Office, Western District of New York
