SAN DIEGO - A Russian-born U.S. citizen who sent threatening emails to the courthouse in El Cajon was sentenced Tuesday to a year in county jail.

In a hearing before Judge Eugenia Eyherabide, the defendant, Georgiy Chipunov, 28, was also placed on three years probation. The defendant pleaded guilty last month to making a false bomb threat, and at that time was ordered to stay away from El Cajon Judge Charles Ervin for the next three years.

Chipunov, who was on probation for felony evading at the time, went on a rant about something going on at the courthouse when he sent the threatening email, Deputy Public Defender Troy Britt said. The defendant was detained last Aug. 16 in Tijuana and turned over to U.S. authorities.

A news release from the Baja California Public Safety Secretariat described the defendant as "a dangerous Russian terrorist" who had "threatened to explode the installations of the court in San Diego ... as well as kill judges and officials."

The threats led to the closing of the courthouse for two days.