Federal prosecutors announced an arrest in the Cornell threat case (see Sunday’s post):
Patrick Dai, 21, a junior at Cornell University originally from Pittsford, New York, was arrested today on a federal criminal complaint accusing him of posting threats to kill or injure another person via interstate communications….
The complaint alleges that Dai posted threatening messages on the Cornell section of an online discussion site, including messages calling for the death of Jewish people and a message stating, “I’m going to shoot up 104 west.” According to information from the Cornell University Police Department and other public information, 104 West is a Cornell University dining hall that caters primarily to kosher diets and is located next to the Cornell Jewish Center, which provides housing for Cornell students.
In another post, Dai allegedly threatened to “stab” and “slit the throats” of all Jewish men he encounters on campus, rape and throw all Jewish women off a cliff, and behead all Jewish babies. In that same post, Dai threatened to “bring an assault rifle to campus and shoot all you pig Jews.”
The allegations and allegations in the complaint are merely allegations. The suspect is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The charge against Dai carries a maximum prison sentence of five years, a fine of up to $250,000 and a term of supervised release of up to three years. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the specific statute the defendant is accused of violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, and other factors….