A former Cornell University student has been sentenced to nearly two years in prison for making death threats against members of the university's Jewish community last fall, prosecutors said.
The former student, Patrick Dai, was sentenced Monday to 21 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, said Richard Southwick of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of New York.
Dai was arrested in October, days after a series of anti-Semitic threats were posted in an online discussion forum. At the time, he was a junior at the Ivy League school.
In April, Dai pleaded guilty to one count of communicating a threat in interstate communications after reaching a plea agreement with federal prosecutors, according to online court records. As part of the agreement, Dai admitted to publishing messages threatening to kill and injure Jewish people and to “shoot up” Cornell’s kosher dining hall, which is next to the school’s Center for Jewish Living.
Dai's attorney, Lisa Peebles, said she plans to appeal the sentence, arguing the judge improperly imposed several increased sentences.
“We were obviously disappointed because we were seeking a sentence that was equal to the time he had already served, given that he's already served almost 10 months,” Peebles told CNN by phone Monday.
After the threats were posted, Cornell University police increased patrols and security for Jewish students and organizations, the agency said. New York State Police also increased its security presence on campus, Gov. Kathy Hochul said.
The threats came amid a reported spike in anti-Semitic incidents as war between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas rages in the Middle East. The Anti-Defamation League said anti-Semitic incidents in the United States rose nearly 400% in the days after Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, and FBI Director Christopher Wray told a Senate hearing that anti-Semitism had reached “historic levels” in the United States.
Dai's legal team claimed in court documents that he is “pro-Israel” and that the posts were a “misguided attempt” to garner support for the country.
“He believed, incorrectly, that the posts would create a ‘backlash’ against what he saw as anti-Israel media coverage and pro-Hamas sentiment on campus,” Peebles wrote in a sentencing memorandum.
Dai had begun taking medication for a depressive disorder in the summer of 2023 and complained that it was making him feel worse, Peebles wrote in the filing. He was also recently diagnosed with autism, a condition his attorney said contributed to his “deficient logic.”
In their own sentencing memorandum, prosecutors cast doubt on Dai's “self-serving post hoc claims,” but say they are “not insensitive” to Dai's mental health issues.
“That said, many people go through periods of isolation and/or depression, and many people struggle with mental health issues,” prosecutors wrote in the filing. “These tests and challenges do not give anyone the right to terrorize their neighbors and classmates.”
CNN has reached out to Cornell University and Cornell Hillel for comment.
“Before sentencing, the court found that this was a hate crime under the federal sentencing guidelines because Dai targeted Jewish students and significantly disrupted the university's core function of educating its students,” U.S. Attorney Carla B. Freedman said in a statement after the sentencing. “Defendant's threats terrorized the Cornell campus community for days and disrupted the community's sense of safety. My office will continue to aggressively investigate and prosecute threats and violent acts motivated by anti-Semitism and hate of any kind.”
In the statement, Cornell University Police Chief Anthony Bellamy said the conviction shows that “threats against our community will not be tolerated.”
CNN's Sarah Boxer contributed to this report.
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