Mississippi Man Pleads Guilty to Threatening to Assault and Murder a United States Judge and Federal Law Enforcement Officer

FAYETTEVILLE-Jonathan D. Ross, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, announced today that a Jackson, Mississippi, man has pleaded guilty to one count of threatening to assault and murder a United States judge and one count of threatening to assault and murder a federal law enforcement officer. Joshua Matthew Goodin, 40, entered this guilty plea on Monday, July 1, 2024, before United States Magistrate Judge Christy D. Comstock.

Magistrate Judge Comstock will sentence Goodin at a later date. Threatening a federal official is punishable by not more than 10 years imprisonment, not more than three years of supervised release, and a fine of not more than $250,000.

The investigation into Goodin revealed that on or about July 5, 2022, while an inmate at the Washington County Detention Facility in Fayetteville, Arkansas, Goodin sent two letters to the U.S. Attorney's Office in Jackson, Mississippi. In the letter, Goodin stated in part, "I swear I'm going to kill you all, I'm gonna blow your f****** office up. …Your (sic) gonna die I promise nothing or no one will stop me."

An investigation further revealed that Goodin sent a second letter stating in part, "I'm Joshua Goodin I was recently in Federal Court on a gun charge. The b**** ass d.a. (name redacted), he talked real bad about me. For that he will pay with his life, him and the judge don't understand who I really am."

Goodin was indicted on July 25, 2023.

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.