A St. Louis man and former journalist accused of making eight bomb threats against Jewish institutions, allegedly in a plot to take revenge on a former romantic partner will plead guilty to a cyberstalking charge.
Juan Thompson, 32, originally denied the charges in New York City federal court in April. But prosecutors say in a letter filed with the court that Thompson will enter a guilty plea when he appears in court on June 12, Reuters reports.
Undated photo provided by the Warren County Sheriff’s Department in Warrenton, Missouri, shows Juan Thompson, of St. Louis. (Warren County Sheriff’s Department via AP)
Before being extradited from St. Louis to New York, Thompson denied the charges, and said that he had no anti-Semitic beliefs and was being framed and targeted as a black man.
The cyberstalking charges are for eight threats against Jewish community centers and the Anti-Defamation League, which federal prosecutors say were copycat crimes during a wave of nearly 150 bomb threats to Jewish institutions during the first three months of the year.
Thomspson was arrested March 3 for the threats, which carry a penalty of up to five years in prison and a fine up to $250,000. Bail had been denied at the time of his arrest.
Nearly three weeks later after Thompson’s arrest, an Israeli-American teen was arrested in Israel for allegedly making the bulk of the threats.
— JTA
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