Mass. man indicted for making online threats to kill U.S. officials, children at elementary school
A Wilbraham man has been indicted by a federal grand jury for making numerous violent threats on social media to kill elected U.S. officials and their families, police officers and firefighters, and children at an elementary school in Massachusetts, the U.S. Attorney said.
Funwayo Mbilini Nyawo, also known as 'Jonathan Funwayo Nyawo,' 'Michael Jacobs' 'Robert, Jacobs,' and 'Carl Fields,' 36, was indicted with 13 counts of interstate transmission of threatening communications and one count of stalking through facilities of interstate commerce, U.S. Attorney Leah Foley said in a statement on Tuesday.
Nyawo was previously arrested on Feb. 5 in the Southern District of Florida and ordered detained until his appearance in federal court in Springfield, which will be scheduled at a later date, Foley said.
According to the indictment, between July 30, 2024 and Oct. 1, 2024, Nyawo posted various communications on X, formerly known as Twitter, threatening to kill an elected U.S. official and their family, a former U.S. official and their family, a former member of a Massachusetts police department and their family, a private individual, local officials and their family members; the children of Wilbraham and Boston; members of the Wilbraham Police Department and Wilbraham Fire Department and their families; and an elementary school in Springfield, among others.
In addition, between Aug. 17, 2024 and about Oct. 1, 2024, Nyawo used X to 'engage in a course of conduct with the intent to harass and intimidate the elected United States official, their spouse, their child, their child's spouse, and their grandchildren.'
Officials on Tuesday did not specify the U.S. officials that Nyawo allegedly targeted in his social media posts.
For all of the charges, Nyawo is facing a sentence of up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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