Bethlehem Man Sentenced for Making Threats on His Facebook Page

PHILADELPHIA—Anthony Elonis, 28, of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, was sentenced yesterday to 44 months in prison for four counts of interstate communication of threats in connection with postings he made to his Facebook page. Among the threats that Elonis posted were threats against his wife, Pennsylvania State Police, the FBI, the Berks County Sheriff’s Department, and an unidentified kindergarten class in the Bethlehem area.

Among the threats that Elonis posted was the following:

“That’s it, I’ve had about enough
I’m checking out and making a name for myself
Enough elementary schools in a ten mile radius
to initiate the most heinous school shooting ever imagined
And hell hath no fury like a crazy man in a Kindergarten class
the only question is...which one?”

U.S. District Court Judge Lawrence Stengel also ordered three years of supervised released, ordered Elonis to have no contact with his victims during that time, and to get mental health treatment. Computer monitoring will also be a condition of release.

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Sherri A. Stephan.