Man sentenced for threats to Jewish classmates at Cornell

A New York court on Monday sentenced Patrick Dai to 21 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. Police arrested Dai, age 22, in October after he posted a series of anti-Semitic threats in an online discussion forum following the Oct. 7 attack on Israel. Judge Brenda Sannes found that the former Cornell student’s anonymous threats to kill or injure Jewish students terrorized the Cornell University community for days, U.S. Attorney Carla B. Freedman said.

Has Dai commented on his conviction? He pleaded guilty in April to posting the threats. Dai’s lawyer, Lisa Peebles, wrote in a sentencing memorandum that he was recently diagnosed with autism. The condition, with other mental health issues, contributed to his decision to make the posts, she said. Peebles had asked the court to give Dai a shorter sentence, to the 10 months he has already been in prison.

Dig deeper: Read Kim Henderson’s report in World Magazine about surging anti-Semitism on campuses.