Thomas Troy Bitter, 36, made his initial appearance in a US District Court on Monday June 20, 2016 before Magistrate Judge Ruth Miller after his arrest on St Thomas, US Virgin Islands (USVI) for using his e-mail account to send threatening communications. Photo: VIC

Magistrate Miller remanded Mr Bitter to the custody of the US Marshals Service pending detention and preliminary hearings scheduled for June 22, 2016.

According to a criminal complaint filed in the District Court, Mr Bitter used his e-mail account to send threatening communications to various law enforcement personnel, including a federal law enforcement officer in St Thomas and a federal judge in California. If convicted, Mr Bitter faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.

This case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Everard E. Potter.

United States Attorney Sharpe reminds the public that a criminal complaint is merely a formal charging document and is not evidence of guilt. Every defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.