A former DuPage County Assistant State’s Attorney has been arrested and charged in federal court for allegedly threatening two Illinois State Representatives and their families via social media.
According to a press release from United States Attorney’s Office Central District, the complaint alleges that on March 17, 2024, the Illinois State Police were contacted by two Illinois State Representatives about a threat that they had received via the social media company X, formerly known as Twitter. The social media post stated, “Our patience grows short with you. The day we put your kids’ feet first into a woodchipper so we can enjoy their last few screams is coming.”
Our patience grows short with you. The day we put your kids’ feet first into a woodchipper so we can enjoy their last few screams is coming.
Besides the two state representatives, five other individuals or groups were “tagged” with the post to include the Illinois Attorney General. As a result, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Springfield Division began an investigation.
Further, on May 15, 2024, the FBI’s National Threat Operations Center received an online tip regarding a post on X that seemed to be in response to an advertisement about the Springfield PrideFest which occurred on May 18, 2024. In the post, it states: “I sure hope NOBODY leaves a pressure cooker filled with bail bearings, glass, and nails, filled with diesel fuel and fertilizer, with the over pressure safety valve disabled, near a natural gas line line [sic]. That would be VERY sad and VERY unfortunate.”
Law enforcement traced the two social media posts to a DuPage County man who, at the time, was serving as an Assistant State’s Attorney in DuPage County.
If convicted of communicating an interstate threat, the suspect faces a maximum sentence of imprisonment of no more than five years. The charge also carries up to three years of supervised release and a possible fine of up to $250,000.
