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A 49-year-old man from Largo is facing five years in federal prison after he allegedly perpetuated a bomb hoax at the FBI Tampa Field Office.
Nicki Goodman is accused of conveying false information to perpetuate a hoax, U.S. Attorney Gregory Kehoe said in a news release.
The incident occurred in the early morning of Tuesday, May 20, according to a criminal complaint. The FBI Tampa Field Office reportedly discovered "a suspicious black backpack" outside the main security gate. A cardboard sign identifying agents by name and a YouTube account belonging to Gooodman were also found.
"The sign also stated, among other things, 'My name is Nicki Goodman' and “Abolish Government,” and displayed racial epithets," Kehoe said. "Agents also discovered several other cardboard signs with messages placed nearby the main entrance gate."
As soon as the backpack was found, many different law enforcement agencies were called, including the Tampa Police Department's bomb squad and Tampa Fire Rescue crews.
That response reportedly resulted in public roadways being shut down, denied access to local businesses and the shutdown of the field office for five hours.
"Surveillance footage from the previous night revealed that Goodman had placed the bag and signs outside the security gate," Kehoe said.
While law enforcement was investigating, Goodman allegedly posted a short video of the scene from nearby, saying, "See all the way down that street right there? Guess that’s cause of me."
The 49-year-old made his first court appearance on Thursday, May 22, before he was detained.