A New Hamsphire man was sentenced to probation following his guilty plea in connection with planting a fake bomb on Harvard University’s campus in 2023.
William A. Giordani, 55, pleaded guilty to one count of concealing a federal felony and was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Angel Kelley to three years of probation, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office of Massachusetts.
Giordani had left a large tool bag in the center of Harvard’s Science Center Plaza, where students were gathered on April 13, 2023. Inside the bag, there was a locked safe containing fireworks and electrical wires, authorities said.
Federal officials accused William A. Giordani of attempting to extort money from Harvard with bomb threats. Authorities detonated a bag full of wires, fireworks and a lockbox in the middle of Harvard’s Science Center Plaza. Federal investigators accused Giordani of placing the bag in the school’s plaza. (4/13/23, FBI)Federal Bureau of Investigation
A caller than used a voice changing app to conceal their identity and tell the Harvard University Police Department (HUPD) that there had been three bombs placed on Harvard’s campus.
“The caller demanded an unspecified amount in Bitcoin to prevent the remote detonation of the bombs. In several ensuing calls, the caller told HUPD that he was serious about his demands and that they could find the first bomb in the Science Center Plaza,” officials said.
Harvard police put out an emergency evacuation order for the area and nearby buildings. The Cambridge Police Department’s bomb squad arrived and disabled the device. No other devices were found on campus that day, authorities said.
In the following days, an investigation revealed that Giordani was recruited for the extortion plot through a Craigslist post. Prosecutors said in court that Giordani was offered $300 by someone claiming to be a Harvard student’s father who needed him to deliver materials needed for a science project, according to Reuters.
“Once Giordani knew he had been recruited to assist in an extortion bomb scheme, he had an obligation under federal law to report that scheme to law enforcement authorities,” a statement from the office of Acting U.S. Attorney Joshua Levy. “Instead, he deleted incriminating text messages, told his girlfriend not to speak to anyone about it and went on the run from police.”
As part of a plea agreement, authorities dropped two counts against Giordani, Reuters reported. No one else has been charged in connection with the bomb hoax.
Luis Fieldman contributed to this reporting.
