(JTA) — A former Cornell University student has pleaded guilty to threatening to kill Jewish students, including saying he would “shoot up” the kosher dining hall, the United States Justice Department said on Wednesday.
Patrick Dai, 21, from Pittsford, New York, was charged in October 2023 with posting threats to kill or injure another person using interstate communications, a federal felony charge that carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison. Dai was suspended shortly after posting the threats. The Justice Department said he is no longer a student at Cornell.
A sentencing hearing for Dai is scheduled for Aug. 12. In addition to a maximum sentence of five years in prison, he faces a fine of up to $250,000, as well as restitution payments to victims and a maximum of three years of supervised release.
The threats came weeks after Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel, which launched the war in Gaza and set off a spate of antisemitic events across the United States, including on college campuses.
As part of his guilty plea, Dai admitted that on Oct. 28 and 29 he posted threatening messages to the Cornell section of online discussion forum Greekrank, saying he would “stab” and “slit the throat” of Jewish men he saw on campus; rape and throw off a cliff any Jewish women he saw on campus; and behead Jewish babies.
In another post, he threatened to bomb the Cornell Jewish Center, which provides residential accommodations for students, and “shoot up 104 west,” the school’s kosher dining hall. In that same post, Dai also threatened to “bring an assault rifle to campus and shoot all you pig jews.”
The Justice Department said Dai’s online threats caused “widespread panic and fear throughout Cornell University’s Jewish community.” On Nov. 3, days after his arrest, classes were canceled at Cornell in observation of a “community day” that acknowledged the “extraordinary stress of the past few weeks,” university officials announced.
The case is being investigated by the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force, including the New York State Police, with assistance from the FBI’s Albany Field Office, Cornell University Police Department and Ithaca Police Department.
Help ensure Jewish news remains accessible to all. Your donation to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency powers the trusted journalism that has connected Jewish communities worldwide for more than 100 years. With your help, JTA can continue to deliver vital news and insights. Donate today.
