Patrick Dai, 21, formerly a junior at Cornell University and originally from Pittsford, New York, pleaded guilty Wednesday to posting threats to kill or injure another person using interstate communications, officials stated.
“This defendant is being held accountable for vile, abhorrent, antisemitic threats of violence levied against members of the Cornell University Jewish community,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “In the elevated threat environment that we have seen since Oct. 7th, we have been vigilant and stand ready to hold perpetrators of hate crimes accountable. Antisemitic threats of violence are unacceptable in our society, and we will not tolerate this conduct. Particularly at institutions of higher learning, people should feel safe to pursue educational opportunities. The Justice Department takes seriously our obligation to protect students from hatred and harassment and will continue to use every tool available to ensure that students are able to feel safe and secure.”
(News Report Arrest of Dai)
As part of his guilty plea, officials stated that Dai admitted that, on Oct. 28 and 29, 2023, he posted threatening messages to the Cornell section of an online discussion forum, including posts that said “gonna shoot up 104 west” (a dining hall at Cornell University that caters predominantly to Kosher diets and is next to the Cornell Jewish Center that provides residential accommodations for students) and “gonna bomb jewish house.”
In another post, Dai threatened to “stab” and “slit the throat” of any Jewish man he saw on campus, to rape and throw off a cliff any Jewish women he saw, and to behead any Jewish babies.
In that same post, Dai threatened to “bring an assault rifle to campus and shoot all you pig jews.”
A sentencing hearing is scheduled for Aug. 12.
Dai faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, restitution to victims.
The FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force, which includes the New York State Police, is investigating this case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Geoffrey J. L. Brown, Stephen C. Green and Michael D. Gadarian for the Northern District of New York are prosecuting the case.