A 49-year-old Covington man appeared in federal court this week after a grand jury indicted him on charges he transmitted threats to kill a retired FBI agent, threats prosecutors say he posted on social media alongside photos of the agent and another person who resembled him. Isiah Washington was charged with one count of transmitting interstate threats following an alleged April 2025 tirade on X targeting the FBI, CIA and DEA.
According to CBS Atlanta, investigators say Washington's posts included the lines “I'm going to kill him” and “I'm going to kill this guy,” directed at a former FBI supervisor. A federal grand jury in Atlanta returned the indictment on July 29, according to the U.S. Department of Justice, and Washington made his formal federal court appearance on August 20.
FBI Atlanta Special Agent in Charge Marlo Graham said Washington allegedly made explicit threats against a former FBI supervisor, calling the conduct unacceptable. “Violent threats against FBI personnel are not taken lightly,” Graham said, adding that the bureau will continue working with law enforcement partners to hold accountable those who threaten law enforcement officers' lives.
Federal Prosecutor Vows Aggressive Pursuit of Threat Cases
U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg, who oversees the case, said following the court appearance that threats to murder and maim are not protected speech under the First Amendment, and he pledged aggressive prosecution of anyone who threatens law enforcement personnel, per the same DOJ statement. Hertzberg was appointed by U.S. District Court judges in September 2025 to lead the Northern District of Georgia indefinitely, after first taking office as interim U.S. attorney that May. The office, which covers 46 counties and more than seven million residents, has said it prioritizes prosecuting violent threats, cybercrime and offenses directed at public safety and federal law enforcement officers.
Washington was charged under 18 U.S.C. § 875(c), which makes transmitting a threat to injure another person in interstate commerce a federal felony carrying a statutory maximum of up to five years in prison and fines of up to $250,000, according to the same DOJ materials outlining the law. Any eventual sentence would still depend on federal sentencing guidelines. Washington remains in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending further proceedings in federal court in Atlanta.
South Carolina Charges Remain Separate From Federal Case
Washington also faces charges in South Carolina, where he is accused of making threatening phone calls to employees at a North Charleston police station in June 2025, roughly two months after the alleged social media posts. Those local charges remain pending in South Carolina state court and are distinct from the federal indictment in Georgia, the Justice Department noted.
Covington, where Washington lives, is the county seat of Newton County, about 35 miles east of downtown Atlanta and within metro Atlanta's eastern outer ring. Federal offenses occurring there fall under the venue of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, which the FBI's Atlanta Field Office serves alongside its broader mandate covering criminal and threat investigations across all 159 Georgia counties.
Threats Against Officers Hit a Decade High Nationally
The case comes as FBI data released in May 2026 showed non-fatal assaults on law enforcement officers nationwide reached a 10-year high in 2025, with 90,178 reported assaults recorded at a rate of 13.8 per 100 officers. The report aggregates voluntary data submitted by law enforcement agencies across the country.
Washington has not been convicted, and the federal indictment against him represents an allegation rather than a legal determination of guilt. The case remains pending in federal court in Atlanta.
