What are “terrorist threats” in Nevada?

Posted on December 23, 2014

Like it sounds, a terrorist threat in Nevada under NRS 202.448 is issuing a threat concerning a terrorist act such as a public shooting or stabbing. Note that Nevada law has a separate statute for making bomb threats: NRS 202.840. Making terrorist threats carries potentially harsher prison terms than making bomb threats.

The key element of the Nevada crime of terrorist threats is that the defendant had the intent to do either of the following:

injure, intimidate or alarm any person, or
cause panic or civil unrest, or
extort or profit, or
interfere with the operations of or cause economic or other damage to any person or any officer, agency, board, bureau, commission, department, division or another unit of federal, state or local government

Note that a person can still be prosecuted for making terrorist threats in Nevada even if no harm actually occurs. Merely making the threat with malicious intent to cause harm is sufficient to invite criminal prosecution.

Making terrorist threats is a category B felony in Nevada. The punishment may include:

2 -- 20 years in Nevada State Prison, and
maybe up to $5,000 in fines

When deciding the final sentence, Nevada judges consider the defendant’s motives, the nature of the threats, and the amount of damage done. Read more information about Nevada bomb threat crimes.

About the Author

Neil Shouse

A former Los Angeles prosecutor, attorney Neil Shouse graduated with honors from UC Berkeley and Harvard Law School (and completed additional graduate studies at MIT). He has been featured on CNN, Good Morning America, Dr Phil, Court TV, The Today Show and Court TV. Mr Shouse has been recognized by the National Trial Lawyers as one of the Top 100 Criminal and Top 100 Civil Attorneys.