A 39-year-old Ridgeland, Miss., man will spend two years in federal prison for making threats against the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Dr. Anthony Fauci over the COVID-19 vaccine.

According to the U.S. Attorneys Office, in July 2021 Robert Wiser Bates placed phone calls to the CDC in Atlanta, Ga., and left voicemails for director Rochelle Walensky that were “threatening in nature,” according to court documents and statement made in court.

FBI agents, investigating the threat against Walensky, found Bates made similar threats against Dr. Anthony Fauci, Director of the National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Disease at the National Institutes of Health.

Bates’ anger towards the CDC and Fauci stemmed from the COVID-19 vaccination program, according to U.S. Attorneys.

Bates was indicted by a federal grand jury and pleaded guilty on Dec. 19. He was sentenced Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Jackson.