Man Sentenced to More Than 9 Years in Prison for Making Hoax Threats, Violating Supervised Release

John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that GARY JOSEPH GRAVELLE, also known as Roland Prejean, 53, last residing in New Haven, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Kari A. Dooley in Bridgeport to 110 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for making numerous hoax threats, and for violating the conditions of his supervised release that followed his earlier federal convictions for sending threatening communications.

According to court documents and statements made in court, on July 19, 2013, Gravelle was sentenced in Bridgeport federal court to 70 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for mailing numerous threatening letters in 2010.  He was released from prison in 2015.

In September 2018, while he was on federal supervised release, Gravelle used the U.S. mail, e-mail and telephone to threaten to harm people and explode property in Connecticut, Vermont and Washington.  Certain letters that Gravelle mailed contained a white powdery substance and statements that the substance was Anthrax, a biological agent and toxin.  Gravelle made threats to various mental health providers and facilities in New Haven, U.S. Probation Officers, a U.S. District Court Judge, an international airport in Vermont, a federal prison in Washington, occupants of a building in Old Saybrook, a credit union in Bristol, and organizations and religious centers in Connecticut.  He also sent a letter threatening to kill the President of the United States.

Gravelle has been detained since his arrest on September 8, 2018.  On January 6, 2020, he pleaded guilty to five counts of maliciously conveying false information about an explosive, one count related to the sending of hoax Anthrax letters, and one count of making threats against the President.  He also admitted that he failed to comply with conditions of his supervised release.

Judge Dooley sentenced Gravelle to 86 months of imprisonment for his conduct in 2018, and a consecutive 24 months of imprisonment for violating his supervised release conditions.

This matter was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, U.S. Marshals Service, U.S. Secret Service, and U.S. Postal Inspection Service, with the assistance of the U.S. Bureau of Prisons, Connecticut State Police, Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, and many local police and fire departments, including departments from Bristol, Guilford, Groton, Hartford, Middletown, New Haven, Old Saybrook, Southington and Stamford, Yale University, and Burlington, Vermont.  This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Peter S. Jongbloed.