A former Cornell University student was sentenced Monday to 21 months in federal prison for threatening Jewish students on campus, the Associated Press reported.
Patrick Dye pleaded guilty in early April to posting violent threats on a Greek life forum. According to The threats, which included plans to shoot and stab Jews, surfaced amid a broader increase in anti-Semitic and anti-Muslim rhetoric sparked by the Gaza war, according to The Associated Press. The threatening posts have caused anxiety among Jewish students at a university in upstate New York.
The student, from Rochester, was charged by federal authorities in October with posting anonymous threats on a Greek life forum about shooting and stabbing Jewish people. https://t.co/GjgHkhxDyv
— News 4 Buffalo (@news4buffalo) August 12, 2024
According to the outlet, Dye's defense, who initially faced up to five years in prison, argued that his behavior could be due to medication for depression and anxiety. Dye's public defender, Lisa Peebles, also argued that the posts were a misguided attempt to draw attention to anti-Israel media bias and support for Hamas on campus. (Related: Authorities charge suspect with hate crimes after stabbing Jewish man while shouting pro-Palestinian slogans: Report)
“He mistakenly believed the posts would spark a 'backlash' in response to anti-Israel media coverage and pro-Hamas sentiment on campus,” Peebles wrote in court documents, according to the Associated Press.
ITHACA, NEW YORK – NOVEMBER 3: People walk on the campus of Cornell University on November 3, 2023 in Ithaca, New York. (Photo by Matt Burkhart/Getty Images)
In sentencing, Judge Brenda Sannes said Dye's actions significantly disrupted campus activities and constituted a hate crime. But the judge also took into account Dye's nonviolent history, as well as his autism diagnosis and ongoing mental illness, the Associated Press reported. Dye was a junior at Cornell University when he was suspended from the Ivy League school for the incident.
