SHREVEPORT, La. – Austin Alan Hall, 40, of Henderson, Texas, has been sentenced by United States District Judge Elizabeth E. Foote to 27 months in prison, plus a special condition that he serve an additional 6 months in a halfway house, for interstate transmission of extortionate communications.
According to information presented in court, on March 17, 2021, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in Shreveport received a phone call from an individual who identified himself as Austin Alan Hall and asked to speak to an agent. He was forwarded to the FBI’s Public Access Line. Shortly thereafter, Hall called back to the FBI Shreveport office and stated that he did not want to be disrespectful but that he needed to speak to an agent and not a recording. Hall went on to say that judges had kept his daughter from him, and he was going to take care of them. He then stated he needed to speak to an agent in the next ten minutes or he was going to take care of the judges. Hall was asked, “You said you are going to take care of the judges?” and he responded, “that’s what I said.” At that point, an FBI agent took the phone.
Hall went on to describe himself to the agent as being a physically large individual and that he would take out a judge, and that he was disoriented. Hall stated to the agent, “If I need to say I will go after judges to speak to someone, I will do it.” The FBI agent asked Hall if he was threatening the judges in order to be heard, or if he really intended to hurt someone. Hall responded with “I plead the Fifth.” Hall then told the agent he was going back to Cincinnati and would give the FBI time to investigate Judge Dean and Hall’s parents. A criminal complaint was obtained, and Hall was arrested based on these threatening communications.
This case was investigated by the FBI and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney J. Aaron Crawford.
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