(JTA) — A St. Louis man accused of making eight bomb threats against Jewish institutions will plead guilty to cyberstalking charges.
Juan Thompson, 32, originally denied the charges in New York City federal court in April. Prosecutors said in a letter filed on Tuesday with the court that Thompson will enter a guilty plea when he appears in court on June 12, Reuters reported.
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 this year. Nearly three weeks later after Thompson’s arrest, an Israeli-American teen was arrested in Israel for allegedly making the bulk of the threats.
Thompson, who previously worked as a journalist for The Intercept news website, had denied the charges, saying said that he had no anti-Semitic beliefs and that he was being framed as a black man. Prosecutors allege that the JCC bomb threats were part of a larger plot to take revenge on an ex-girlfriend.
He 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.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation complaint says Thompson threatened institutions including the Anti-Defamation League, Jewish community centers in San Diego and New York City, schools in New York and Michigan, and a Jewish history museum in New York City.
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