A federal grand jury in Alaska returned an indictment charging a Kasilof man with five counts of making interstate threats and one count of cyberstalking for making death threats from Alaska to individuals in other states, according to a release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Alaska.
According to court documents, 34-year-old Benjamin Tarbell began making death threats against individuals in Vermont and other states in August 2021. The threats, which continued to escalate through early September, were made via text messages, Instagram messages and telephone calls. Tarbell moved from Vermont to Alaska around April 2021. Tarbell was arrested by the FBI on a federal complaint on September 10 at the Kenai Municipal Airport as he was checking in for his flight to Vermont with a rifle, two handguns, ammunition, two knives and a tactical vest.
Tarbell made his initial court appearance on September 14 before U.S. Magistrate Judge Matthew M. Scoble of the U.S. District Court for the District of Alaska. He is in federal custody and will remain detained pending trial.
If convicted, Tarbell faces a maximum sentence of five years each for the charging counts, and a maximum of ten years in prison for a sixth count. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is investigating the case with support from the Alaska State Troopers, Vermont State Police and the Massachusetts State Police.