KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A Kansas City man has been charged in federal court with making a hoax telephone call that led to an Internal Revenue Service office being locked down and an employee being detained.
Anthony M. Alford, 46, was charged in a criminal complaint filed under seal in the U.S. District Court in Kansas City last Friday.
An affidavit submitted in support of the criminal complaint states that on Sept. 10, Alford called 911 to report that “Victim One” was armed and threatening to shoot up the IRS building at 333 W. Pershing Rd. in Kansas City, Missouri. Victim One is an employee of the IRS.
Kansas City police officers were sent to the building where they contacted IRS security and Federal Protective Service officers.
Victim One was detained and searched for weapons based on the 911 call. Following the 911 call, the B-Wing of the IRS building was locked down.
The IRS announced there was an active shooter in the building and told those in the B-Wing to stay locked down.
Victim One was unarmed. According to a news release, Victim One told investigators she had been dating Alford for about a month and was trying to break up with him.
She said Alford had never been violent but had exhibited controlling, possessive, and jealous behavior. Alford had repeatedly called and messaged her the previous night, she said, and earlier that morning, sent her messages threatening to involve the police.
When Alford was interviewed by investigators he told them “Victim One” did not threaten to shoot up the IRS and his intention for the call was to cause trouble, according to the affidavit.
The complaint was unsealed and made public Tuesday following Alford’s arrest and initial court appearance. Alford will be in federal custody pending a detention hearing on Friday.
It was investigated by the Department of Homeland Security, Federal Protective Service, the Kansas City Police Department and the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by PostX News and is published from a syndicated feed.)
