CARBONDALE — A 42-year-old Carbondale man was charged Monday in federal court with falsely making a threat to blow up a Carbondale military recruiting center.

George Rita II, was arrested and charged on June 29, 2018, for posting a threatening anonymous message to a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) tip line located in Clarksburg, West Virginia.

The message claimed that the sender planned to go to a recruitment center and blow it up and that no one could stop him. No location was given for the threatened recruitment center.

Agents of the FBI were able to determine that the threat received in West Virginia originated in Southern Illinois and ultimately tracked the internet connection that was the source of the threat back to Rita’s Carbondale apartment.

Agents also determined that the threat was against a U.S. Military Recruiting Center in Carbondale, close to Rita’s apartment.

The complaint charges Rita with Maliciously Conveying False Information Regarding a Bomb Threat in violation to Title 18, United States Code, Section 844(e)

If convicted, Rita could be sentenced up to 10 years in federal prison and be fined up to $250,000. Rita was ordered to remain in federal custody by a United States Magistrate Judge pending further court proceedings.