A St. Louis man, Juan Thompson, pleaded guilty on Tuesday to one charge of cyberstalking and one count of making phony bomb threats in a campaign to harass and intimidate a woman, according to a statement from the U.S. Department of Justice.
In carrying out his actions, which began in July 2016 and lasted months, Thompson, 32, made at least 12 threats to Jewish Community Centers and other organizations, according to the charges.
In the DoJ statement, Joon H. Kim, the Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, said: "Thompson made these threats as part of a cruel campaign to cyberstalk [Victim-1, as she's designated in the court document], with whom he previously had a relationship. Thompson's threats not only inflicted emotional distress on his victim, but also harmed Jewish communities around the country.”
In one instance, Thompson emailed the Anti-Defamation League with a message blaming Victim-1 for bomb threats against Jews, and followed up the next day with a phone call to the ADL stating that explosive material had been placed in its midtown Mnhattan office.
He also used his Twitter account to make similar allegations.
Thompson faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison on the cyberstalking charge, and a five year sentence as well for one count of hoax threats.
Sentencing is scheduled for September 15.
