LOS ANGELES—A German national who used to work for United Airlines was sentenced today to 18 months in federal prison for making false bomb threats against flights operated by the international air carrier.
Patrick Cau, who is also known as Patrick Kaiser, 40, of Dallas, was sentenced by United States District Judge Otis D. Wright, II.
Cau pleaded guilty in August to one count of false information and hoaxes. While Cau pleaded guilty to one felony count, in a plea agreement filed in federal court, he admitted making eight bomb threats against United from October 2012 through January 2013.
In the first phone call, on October 4, 2012, Cau used a pay phone near his home to call an internal United crew scheduling number and state that a United flight from London to Los Angeles would be bombed later that day. Cau made the subsequent calls to 911 from pay phones in Los Angeles, New York City, Las Vegas, and Seattle, with all the calls stating that a specific United flight would be bombed.
As a result of the hoaxes, multiple law enforcement agencies were forced to respond to the bomb threats made by Cau. These law enforcement responses included evacuating people from the targeted airplanes; towing the aircraft to a safe area; searching and re-screening passengers, baggage, and cargo; and searching the aircraft by human, canine, and other detection methods.
As a direct result of Cau’s threats, United experienced substantial disruption to its business operations and services, including cancellation of and delays to flights, transfer of aircraft, and significant inconveniences to United passengers. Judge Wright today ordered Cau to pay $304,495 in restitution to United and $8,838 to reimburse the Los Angeles Police Department for expenses incurred as a result its response to the bomb threats.
The case against Cau was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation; U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); and the Los Angeles Airport Police.
Showing posts with label bomb threats. Show all posts
Showing posts with label bomb threats. Show all posts
Tuesday, November 26, 2013
Monday, November 25, 2013
West Haven Woman Admits Making Bomb Threats Against Connecticut Courthouses
Deirdre Daly, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that Jennifer Chirico, 31, of West Haven, pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Janet C. Hall in New Haven to making bomb threats against courthouses in Connecticut.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on the morning of March 8, 2013, Chirico and another individual placed a total of seven anonymous threat calls to courthouses, law enforcement agencies, and media outlets, all claiming that bombs had been deployed and were going to explode that morning at one or more courthouses in Connecticut. All seven calls mentioned or described the Waterbury Superior Court as either the one location or as one of multiple locations where bombs were about to explode.
The investigation, which included analysis of the originating phone numbers of the calls and previous police reports associated with the phone numbers, pointed to Chirico as a suspect. A review of the Waterbury court docket records for March 8, 2013, disclosed that Chirico had been scheduled to appear at a hearing that day in a pending criminal case. Investigating agents then located and interviewed Chirico, who confessed to making the bomb threat calls and explained that she had done so to cause court delays and thereby avoid being late for her own court appearance.
Chirico was arrested on May 17, 2013. Today, she pleaded guilty to one count of maliciously conveying false information.
Judge Hall has scheduled sentencing for February 19, 2014, at which time Chirico faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years.
This matter is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Joint Terrorism Task Force, the U.S. Marshals Service, and the Connecticut State Police. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Henry K. Kopel.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on the morning of March 8, 2013, Chirico and another individual placed a total of seven anonymous threat calls to courthouses, law enforcement agencies, and media outlets, all claiming that bombs had been deployed and were going to explode that morning at one or more courthouses in Connecticut. All seven calls mentioned or described the Waterbury Superior Court as either the one location or as one of multiple locations where bombs were about to explode.
The investigation, which included analysis of the originating phone numbers of the calls and previous police reports associated with the phone numbers, pointed to Chirico as a suspect. A review of the Waterbury court docket records for March 8, 2013, disclosed that Chirico had been scheduled to appear at a hearing that day in a pending criminal case. Investigating agents then located and interviewed Chirico, who confessed to making the bomb threat calls and explained that she had done so to cause court delays and thereby avoid being late for her own court appearance.
Chirico was arrested on May 17, 2013. Today, she pleaded guilty to one count of maliciously conveying false information.
Judge Hall has scheduled sentencing for February 19, 2014, at which time Chirico faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years.
This matter is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Joint Terrorism Task Force, the U.S. Marshals Service, and the Connecticut State Police. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Henry K. Kopel.
Friday, September 13, 2013
Las Cruces Man Arrested for Making False Bomb Threats
ALBUQUERQUE—This morning, Luis Lucero-Loya, 23, of Las Cruces, New Mexico, made his initial appearance in federal court on a criminal complaint charging him with making false bomb threats. If convicted of the offenses charged in the complaint, Lucero-Loya faces up to 10 years of imprisonment and a $250,000 fine. Lucero-Loya is temporarily detained pending a detention hearing, which has yet to be scheduled.
According to the criminal complaint, Lucero-Loya made false bomb threats on five different occasions between August 18, 2013 and August 31, 2013. The complaint alleges that, on each of the five occasions, Lucero-Loya placed 911 calls to Mesilla Valley Dispatch and falsely reported that there were explosives devices or bombs in specific commercial businesses in Las Cruces. As a result of the bomb threats, the businesses were evacuated and allegedly incurred significant losses.
“In a post-9/11 world, we must take bomb threats seriously. False bomb threats drain our already overburdened public safety agencies and prevent them responding to true emergencies. They also create significant stress and disruption to those threatened,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Steven C. Yarbrough. “We therefore must diligently investigate and prosecuted these cases.”
“There can be no tolerance for those who would jeopardize public safety by making false bomb threats,” said Special Agent in Charge Carol K.O. Lee of the Albuquerque Division of the FBI. “The FBI is proud of the work of its special agents who vigorously investigated this case with the Las Cruces Police Department and the FBI’s Southern New Mexico Safe Streets Gang Task Force.”
Chief Richard S. Williams of the Las Cruces Police Department stated, “This investigation culminated in a prompt arrest because of the outstanding cooperation between the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Las Cruces Police Department, and the impacted commercial businesses. We are extremely grateful that this offender is being prosecuted for allegedly committing dangerous offenses and that the employees and customers of the victim businesses can return to a safe environment.”
Charges in criminal complaints are merely accusations, and defendants are presumed innocent unless found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
This case was investigated by the Las Cruces Police Department and the FBI’s Southern New Mexico Safe Streets Gang Task Force and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Shaheen P. Torgoley of the U.S. Attorney’s Las Cruces Branch Office.
According to the criminal complaint, Lucero-Loya made false bomb threats on five different occasions between August 18, 2013 and August 31, 2013. The complaint alleges that, on each of the five occasions, Lucero-Loya placed 911 calls to Mesilla Valley Dispatch and falsely reported that there were explosives devices or bombs in specific commercial businesses in Las Cruces. As a result of the bomb threats, the businesses were evacuated and allegedly incurred significant losses.
“In a post-9/11 world, we must take bomb threats seriously. False bomb threats drain our already overburdened public safety agencies and prevent them responding to true emergencies. They also create significant stress and disruption to those threatened,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Steven C. Yarbrough. “We therefore must diligently investigate and prosecuted these cases.”
“There can be no tolerance for those who would jeopardize public safety by making false bomb threats,” said Special Agent in Charge Carol K.O. Lee of the Albuquerque Division of the FBI. “The FBI is proud of the work of its special agents who vigorously investigated this case with the Las Cruces Police Department and the FBI’s Southern New Mexico Safe Streets Gang Task Force.”
Chief Richard S. Williams of the Las Cruces Police Department stated, “This investigation culminated in a prompt arrest because of the outstanding cooperation between the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Las Cruces Police Department, and the impacted commercial businesses. We are extremely grateful that this offender is being prosecuted for allegedly committing dangerous offenses and that the employees and customers of the victim businesses can return to a safe environment.”
Charges in criminal complaints are merely accusations, and defendants are presumed innocent unless found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
This case was investigated by the Las Cruces Police Department and the FBI’s Southern New Mexico Safe Streets Gang Task Force and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Shaheen P. Torgoley of the U.S. Attorney’s Las Cruces Branch Office.
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