Chicago Man Pleads Guilty to Making Bomb Threat
Threat Targeted Southern Illinois University in Carbondale
| U.S. Attorney’s Office November 17, 2011 |
A Chicago resident pled guilty today in federal district court in Benton, IL, to the charge of willfully making a bomb threat to Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, Stephen R. Wigginton announced today.
Maurice Leon Wiggins, 23, who was indicted by a federal grand jury on September 8, 2011, today admitted in court that on August 29, 2011, he accessed the Internet from his cellular phone and submitted a message to the Southern Illinois University “Campus Watch” webpage for the Carbondale campus. Wiggins’ message stated that he planned to kill 4,000 students and staff by bombing three dormitories and a student center between September and November 2011.
At his sentencing, Wiggins faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, or both, and three years’ supervised release. Wiggins’ sentencing is set for February 27, 2012, in East St. Louis. Wiggins remains held without bond pending that sentencing.
This investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Southern Illinois University Police Department. The case is being handled by Assistant United States Attorney Liam Coonan.