A Washington, D.C., man pleaded guilty to a hoax bomb threat that caused the evacuation of Union Station and disrupted train service last summer.
James Cherry, 58, also was accused of threats against the D.C. Metrorail system and an area near the White House for his own amusement and entertainment.
According to prosecutors, Cherry phoned a bomb threat to 911 July 27, triggering an evacuation at Union Station and the delay of a dozen Amtrak, MARC and VRE trains. Cherry told a 911 operator, "There are eight bombs at Union Station set to go off" and threatened to kill "all you white people," the prosecution said.
Cherry made a separate hoax call from the same cellphone July 25 claiming bombs were “ready to go off in this building, one building 1818 Pennsylvania Avenue, next building is three blocks away. You figure it out. You figure it out,” prosecutors said. The address is near the White House and the World Bank.
A call back to the number was received by a voicemail for a "James."
In filings to a federal judge, Cherry acknowledged also making a bomb threat against the D.C. Metrorail Orange Line station at McPherson Square, prosecutors said.
He allegedly made the threats from the threatened locations so he could watch the emergency response for his personal entertainment. He told authorities he made the threat against Union Station when he was high and drunk, prosecutors said.
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Investigators learned the phone used to make the 911 calls belonged to Cherry, who they arrested in December and has been in custody since his arrest.
Cherry pleaded guilty to threatening and conveying false information concerning use of an explosive. He likely faces 30 to 37 months in prison and a fine up to $55,000 at sentencing scheduled for May 24. As part of his plea, Cherry agreed to pay Amtrak $36,153 in restitution for losses caused by the Union Station hoax.
