An Atlanta man was sentenced last week to more than a decade in federal prison after threatening to shoot up a women’s clinic and then robbing a mail carrier at gunpoint in Buckhead, a crime that ended in a midday shootout on a busy street.
What’s Happening: U.S. District Judge Thomas W. Thrash Jr. sentenced 25-year-old Maximo Fitzhugh on April 24 to 10 years and six months in federal prison. When he gets out, Fitzhugh will spend five more years on supervised release, meaning federal authorities will monitor him closely and he must follow strict conditions.
The Clinic Threat: On April 9, 2024, Fitzhugh called an Atlanta women’s clinic and told employees to get out, saying he was going to “shoot the whole place up,” according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. The clinic locked its doors while FBI agents and Atlanta Police responded and secured the area.
The Robbery and Shootout: About four months later, just after noon on August 1, 2024, Fitzhugh robbed a mail carrier near the Buckhead Village shopping center. Surveillance video captured him pointing a handgun at the carrier and threatening to kill her. A bystander who witnessed the robbery drew his own gun, yelled at Fitzhugh to stop, and fired at him. Fitzhugh ducked behind a parked car, fired his gun into the air, and fled. No one was hurt. Fitzhugh was arrested on August 19, 2024.
The Charges: Fitzhugh pleaded guilty on October 25, 2025 to two federal charges: communicating interstate threats, which means making a threat across state lines such as by phone, and discharging a firearm during a crime of violence. The firearm charge carries a mandatory minimum prison sentence under federal law.
The Path Forward: Once Fitzhugh completes his prison term, he will spend five years under federal supervision. A violation of those terms could send him back to prison.
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B.T. Clark
B.T. Clark is an award-winning journalist and the Publisher of The Georgia Sun. He has 25 years of experience in journalism and served as Managing Editor of Neighbor Newspapers in metro Atlanta for 15 years and Digital Director at Times-Journal Inc. for 8 years. His work has appeared in several newspapers throughout the state including Neighbor Newspapers, The Cherokee Tribune and The Marietta Daily Journal. He is a Georgia native and a fifth-generation Georgian.
