A Philadelphia man has pleaded guilty to charges stemming from a bomb threat and mass shooting threat he made after an argument with a member of his fantasy football group.
Matthew Gabriel, 25, plead guilty to two counts of interstate and foreign communication of a threat to injure, United States Attorney Jacqueline C. Romero announced Wednesday.
According to the guilty plea agreement, Gabriel had an online disagreement escalate with a member of his fantasy football group. Upon learning that the same member was set to study abroad in Norway in August 2023, Gabriel, submitted an anonymous tip online to the Norwegian Police Security Service.
Gabriel claimed that a member of his fantasy football chat group was going to carry out a mass shooting in Norway. Over the next five days, law enforcement in both Norway and the United States investigated the matter, spending hundreds of man-hours in the process, according to officials. Gabriel later admitted to the FBI that he had falsely submitted the tip.
On March 22, 2024, Gabriel again submitted a false tip, claiming a member from his fantasy football group chat had told him that he planned on blowing up the school.
“While already being prosecuted for one hoax threat spurred by, of all things, his fantasy football league, Matthew Gabriel inexplicably decided to send another,” said Romero.
“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.’”
Gabriel now faces a maximum possible sentence of five years in prison and $250,000 in fines.
