A former security guard at the Cathay Bank in El Monte was sentenced Friday to a year of home detention and five years probation for sending a bomb threat to another security guard last year, authorities said.
Daniel Isaac Gonzalez, 24, of Montebello had pleaded guilty on June 28 to one count of making a threat, and conveying false information, through interstate commerce to kill another person and to damage and destroy buildings by means of an explosive, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
On July 13, 2023, Gonzalez texted a threat to another security guard, court documents show.
Then he sent a phony bomb threat to his work phone while on duty on July 26, 2023.
He texted the fake threat to himself in an unsuccessful effort to evade detection by law enforcement, federal authorities said.
The threats affected the bank. Employees were evacuated and the bank was unable to operate for about two hours on July 26, 2023, federal officials said.
It wasn’t clear why Gonzalez decided to send the bogus bomb threats.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office had asked the court for a sentence of one year in prison and three years supervised release. Part of the reasoning behind the recommended sentence was Gonzalez’ lack of criminal history, medical conditions that affected his early education and a difficult upbringing, according to court records.