R’land man threatens to kill Dr. Fauci, pleads guilty

RIDGELAND — A man here has pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to making threats against the CDC and Dr. Anthony Fauci in July 2021, the authorities said. 

The man, Robert Wiser Bates, 39, placed numerous phone calls to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta and left threatening voicemails for CDC Director Rochelle Walensky, according to a release from the U.S. Justice Department. 

During an interview with the FBI, “Bates admitted to making the threatening phone calls, and stated that he would kill Dr. Anthony Fauci as well,” the release said. 

Bates is facing a maximum of five years in prison along with a maximum fine of $250,000. He is scheduled to be sentenced on March 7, 2023, and is currently being housed at the Madison County Detention Center.