BOSTON — A former Northeastern University technology manager will serve time in federal prison for staging a bomb hoax and then making false statements to federal law enforcement, the U.S. Attorney said Tuesday.
Jason Duhaime, 47, formerly of Massachusetts and San Antonio, was sentenced by U.S. Senior District Court Judge William Young to one year and one day in prison, to be followed by two years of supervised release, Acting U.S. Attorney Josh Levy said in a statement.
“Bomb hoaxes are not a harmless act, they inflict fear, divert resources and put both first responders and the public at real risk as they race to the scene,” said Levy. “This sentence should send a clear message to everyone who engages in bomb threats and swatting incidents that you will be held accountable and that one phone call may land you in jail.”
In June, Duhaime was convicted of intentionally conveying false and misleading information related to an explosive device and two counts of making materially false statements to a federal law enforcement agent.
He was arrested and charged by criminal complaint on Oct. 2, 2022, and subsequently indicted by a federal grand jury on Oct. 27, 2022.
Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Boston, echoed Levy’s words.
“Jason Duhaime apparently thought he could get away with staging a hoax explosion and lying to us about it, but this sentencing proves how wrong he was,” Cohen said.
“Hoax explosive devices and fictious letters threatening violence cause real-world damage. It drains law enforcement resources, diverts us from responding to an actual crisis, puts innocent people at risk, and instills unnecessary fear in the community,” Cohen said.
As of September 2022, Duhaime worked as the new technology manager and director of the Immersive Media Lab at Northeastern University.
At approximately 7 p.m. on Sept. 13, 2022, Duhaime called Northeastern Police and reported that he was injured by sharp objects expelled from a plastic case he opened inside the lab that evening, Levy said.
Specifically, Duhaime told an emergency police dispatcher that he and a Northeastern student who was working in the Lab that evening had collected several packages—including two plastic “Pelican cases”—from a mail area and brought them into the Lab, prosecutors said.
Duhaime said that when he opened one of the cases inside a storage closet, “very sharp” objects flew out of the case and under his shirt sleeves, causing injuries to his arms. Prosecutors said Duhaime also reported that the case contained an anonymous “violent note” threatening to “destroy the lab” and stating: “In the case you got today we could have planted explosives but not this time!!! Take notice!!! You have two months to take operations down or else!!!!! WE ARE WATCHING YOU.”
Duhaime’s report and concern about a second, unopened Pelican case triggered “a significant law enforcement response” that included the Boston Police Department’s bomb squad, multiple federal and state law enforcement agencies, and the evacuation of a portion of Northeastern’s campus, prosecutors said.
“FBI Boston’s Joint Terrorism Task Force takes all threats to life seriously and so should anyone thinking about making one. We will investigate, identify you, and ensure you’re held accountable for your actions,” Cohen said.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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