LOS ANGELES
A Pasadena woman pleaded guilty Wednesday to federal charges of stalking and making bomb threats against a U.S. consulate in Vietnam, according to authorities.
Natalie Nguyen, 39, admitted to one count of stalking and one count of threatening to kill and destroy buildings by fire and explosives.
She has been in federal custody since February 2024.
According to her plea agreement, from April 2023 to February 2024, Nguyen stalked a victim identified as “T.H.,” sending death threats to him and his wife, including emails discussing a $15,000 payment to a hitman.
Nguyen also targeted five U.S. consulate employees in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
Posing as T.H.’s wife, she emailed threats in August 2023 to “bomb the [expletive] consular” and, in October 2023, used T.H.’s hacked email account to threaten to kill consulate staff over visa delays.
In January 2024, impersonating T.H.’s wife, she warned U.S. officials that devices would detonate at consulates in Saigon and San Francisco around the Lunar New Year. Minutes later, she sent another threat to the Vietnamese consulate, claiming a grenade would be detonated.
U.S. District Judge Sherilyn Peace Garnett scheduled Nguyen’s sentencing for June 18. She faces up to five years in prison for stalking and up to 10 years for making threats.
The FBI and Diplomatic Security Service investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Diane Roldán is prosecuting.