A federal criminal complaint was issued today, resulting in the arrest of Patrick Dai, a 21-year-old junior at Cornell University.
Who is Patrick Dai?
Dai, originally from Pittsford, New York, faces charges for making threats to kill or harm others through interstate communications. This development was announced by United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman, Alfred Watson, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Dominick L. Chiumento, Acting Superintendent of the New York State Police, and Anthony Bellamy, Chief of the Cornell University Police.
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The complaint alleges that Dai posted threatening messages on the Cornell section of an online discussion platform. These posts included calls for the harm and death of Jewish individuals. One particularly alarming post mentioned “gonna shoot up 104 west.” According to information from the Cornell University Police and other publicly available sources, 104 West is a dining hall primarily serving Kosher diets and is situated next to the Cornell Jewish Center, which provides accommodations for Cornell students. Another post by Dai threatened to “stab” and “slit the throat” of Jewish males on campus, as well as to commit horrific acts of violence against Jewish females and babies. He further threatened to bring an assault rifle to campus to harm Jewish individuals. It’s crucial to note that the charges and allegations in the complaint are accusations, and the defendant is considered innocent unless proven guilty.
The charge against Dai carries a maximum penalty of 5 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and a term of supervised release lasting up to 3 years. The specific sentence for the defendant will be determined by a judge, considering the relevant statute, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, and other relevant factors.
Dai is scheduled to make his initial court appearance in federal court in Syracuse, New York, before a United States Magistrate Judge.
The FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF), in collaboration with the New York State Police, is leading the investigation, along with the Cornell University Police Department and the Ithaca Police Department. The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of New York is responsible for prosecuting the case, in conjunction with the Counterterrorism Section of the Department of Justice.
