Pennsylvania fantasy football competition leads to fake threats of violence, federal and foreign investigation

A fantasy football competition in Philadelphia got out of hand, with federal and foreign authorities launching an investigation into it after a disgruntled player falsely accused a fellow participant of intending to carry out violent attacks.Prosecutors with the Department of Justice announced on Wednesday that 25-year-old Matthew Gabriel pleaded guilty to two counts of interstate and foreign communication of threats.Authorities said a disagreement between Gabriel and another member of a fantasy football online chat group allegedly led to him telling police that the member, who he knew was going to study abroad in Europe in August 2023, was planning a bombing and mass shooting in Norway.Gabriel wrote that a fellow fantasy football player was « headed around Oslo and has a shooting planned with multiple people on his side involved. They plan to take as many as they can at a concert and then head to a department store, » according to prosecutors. »I just can’t have random people dying on my conscience, » he wrote to authorities.MISSISSIPPI TEEN MURDER SUSPECT CAUGHT ON CAMERA IN CHILLING FOOTAGE AFTER ALLEGEDLY KILLING MOTHERProsecutors said that they took the tip seriously and that U.S. and Norwegian investigators spent « hundreds of man-hours reacting to and investigating the threatened mass shooting over the course of a five-day period. »Gabriel’s ruse did not last, with the FBI interviewing him and the 25-year-old admitting that the « tip » was a lie.KENTUCKY COUPLE WHO FOUND ALLEGED INTERSTATE SHOOTER’S REMAINS SAY THEY TURNED INTO ‘BOUNTY HUNTERS’Further investigation into the international ruse revealed that Gabriel emailed the University of Iowa with a similar threat earlier in the year.In the second threat, Gabriel alleged that the same fantasy football player was threatening to « blow up the school, » which Gabriel knew was untrue, prosecutors said.Gabriel was released on Tuesday on a $25,000 bond and is scheduled to be sentenced in January. If found guilty, he faces a maximum penalty of five years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine.U.S. Attorney Jacqueline C. Romero warned other fantasy football players to not participate in similar « extremely disruptive » hoaxes. »While already being prosecuted for one hoax threat spurred by, of all things, his fantasy football league, Matthew Gabriel inexplicably decided to send another, » Romero said. « His actions were extremely disruptive and consumed significant law enforcement resources on two continents, diverting them from actual incidents and investigations. Hoax threats aren’t a joke or protected speech, they’re a crime. « My advice to keyboard warriors who’d like to avoid federal charges: always think of the potential consequences, before you hit ‘post’ or ‘send.’ »



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Publish date : 2024-09-20 10:00:39

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