A Michigan man who sent a bomb threat when his girlfriend left on a cruise without him will now spend eight months in prison.
Joshua Lowe was 19 years old when police said he emailed Carnival Cruise Line in January 2024, writing, “Hey, I think someone might have a bomb on your sunrise cruise ship.”
The ship had left Miami and had to be escorted by Jamaican maritime officials to a port in the island country.
All of the more than 1,100 cabins had to be searched, along with dining rooms, recreational areas, the engine and other places on the ship.
The company, along with the FBI, eventually traced the email to Lowe, who was living with his girlfriend and her family. He confessed that he sent it because “he was upset that the family went on the cruise, while leaving him behind to care for their pets.”
Lowe was indicted in September on a count of making a bomb threat and was sentenced in federal court.
He pleaded guilty to one count of false information and hoaxes. Lowe faced up to five years in prison, but was sentenced to only eight months, after which he will be under two years of supervised release.
He apologized, writing the court, “This is all my fault and take full responsibility.”
“Although the defendant may not have intended all the harm that resulted from his action, the consequences of his email were serious,” Nils R. Kessler, an assistant attorney with the Western District, wrote in a legal filing. “The hoax resulted in substantial disruption, including inconvenience to the passengers and potential lost revenue to the cruise line.”
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