CRIME
New Hampshire Man Pleads Guilty In Bomb Threat At Harvard University
harvard/Instagram
A New Hampshire man pleaded guilty on Wednesday in connection with a bomb threat at Harvard University last year after he was recruited online to plant a device on campus.
William Giordani, 55, pleaded guilty to one count of concealing a federal felony on Wednesday, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts said. He was originally arrested in May 2023 and indicted in June.
According to prosecutors, Giordani placed a large tool bag in the center of Harvards Science Center Plaza on April 13, 2023. The bag concealed a locked safe containing fireworks and electrical wires.
Soon after, a caller using a voice-changing app called the Harvard University Police Department and claimed he placed three bombs on campus. The caller demanded a Bitcoin payment to prevent the remote detonation of the bombs, and directed police to the first bomb in the Science Center Plaza to indicate he was serious.
Campus police found the tool bag and issued an emergency evacuation order. The Cambridge Police Department bomb squad responded to the scene and disabled the device. No additional devices were found on campus.
Investigators learned Giordani was recruited into the extortion plot via a post on craigslist.org. According to prosecutors, once Giordani learned he had been recruited into an extortionate bomb scheme, he had an obligation to report it to authorities, and did not.
The charge of concealing a felony carries a sentence of up to three years in prison and one year of supervised release.
U.S. District Court Judge Angel Kelley scheduled sentencing for April 25.
TMX contributed to this article.
