The man who inundated the Merriam-Webster offices with anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric and bomb threats has pleaded guilty.
Back in April, a California man named Jeremy David Hanson was arrested for one count of “interstate communication of threats to commit violence” after he sent horrific messages to the dictionary-based business.
According to a statement from the District of Massachusetts’ US Attorney’s office, Hanson used the dictionary website’s “Contact Us” portal to submit the aforementioned messages between 2 October and 8 October 2021.
In one of his posts, he wrote: “It is absolutely sickening that Merriam-Webster now tells blatant lies and promotes anti-science propaganda. There is no such thing as ‘gender identity.’ The imbecile who wrote this entry should be hunted down and shot.”
In another message Hanson, who went by the username “@nonYmous,” threatened to bomb and shoot up the company’s headquarters.
“It is sickening that you have caved to the cultural Marxist, anti-science tra**y [sic] agenda and altered the definition of ‘female’ as part of the Left’s efforts to corrupt and degrade the English language and deny reality,” he wrote.
“You evil Marxists should all be killed. It would be poetic justice to have someone storm your offices and shoot up the place, leaving none of you commies alive.”
The 34-year-old also targeted other businesses with anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric –including Hasbro, Inc., IGN Entertainment, Amnesty International, American Civil Liberties Union and Land O’Lakes.
On 8 September, Hanson pleaded guilty to two counts of “interstate communication of threats to commit violence” as part of a plea deal (per NBC).
“Every member of our community has a right to live and exist authentically as themselves without fear,” US Attorney Rachael S. Rollins said in a statement.
“Hate motivated threats of violence that infringe upon that right are not tolerated in Massachusetts in any capacity.”
Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Boston Division, echoed similar sentiments in his own statement.
“Jeremy Hanson is now a convicted felon after admitting to making hate-fueled threats of violence related to the LGBTQ+ community,” he said.
“If you believe you are a victim or a witness to similar conduct, we encourage you to report it to the FBI so we can hold the perpetrators behind these crimes accountable for their actions, like we did in this case.”
With his guilty plea officially submitted, Hanson is set to be sentenced on 5 January. He could face up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine for both counts.
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