A California man has been indicted by a grand jury and charged with threatening anti-LGBTQ violence against Merriam-Webster Inc.
According to May 5 Department of Justice news release, Jeremy David Hanson, 34, of Rossmoor, Calif., has been charged with one count of interstate communication threats to commit violence. The indictment accused Hanson of selecting Merriam-Webster, its property and employees as the target of his threatening communications, which were connected to the employees’ actual or perceived gender, gender identity or sexual orientation, the indictment stated.
“We believe Mr. Hanson, motivated by hate and veiled by the assumed anonymity of the internet, made numerous threats of violence to instill fear in our communities,” U.S. Attorney Rachael S. Rollins said in the release. “Hateful and bigoted activity, like the conduct alleged here, is destructive on so many levels and will not be tolerated. Every individual has a right to feel safe in their community. My office will continue its relentless pursuit of those who seek to threaten, intimidate and divide us and hold them accountable.”
According to documents, between Oct. 2- 8, 2021, Springfield, Mass.-based Merriam-Webster received threats that its headquarters “should be bombed” and that employees would be assassinated, which were sent via the company's Contact Us page and in the comments section on its website corresponding to the word entries for “girl” and “woman.”
Authorities later identified the user as Hanson, the news release reported.
“Jeremy Hanson is accused of repeatedly making violent threats, motivated by hate, to intimidate others – even going as far as causing Merriam-Webster to shut down its offices for five days out of fear for their employees’ safety,” Joseph R. Bonavolonta, special agent in charge of the FBI Boston division, said in the release. “Threatening violent action strikes at the heart of our fundamental right as Americans to live and work without fear, and this case underscores the FBI’s commitment to ensuring that everyone’s civil rights are protected and those who try to infringe on them are brought to justice.”
