A man from Massachusetts was arrested by the FBI for planting a fake bomb on Harvard University’s campus in an attempt to extort a large sum of Bitcoin from the Ivy League school. The man, identified as William A. Giordani, 55, was charged with conspiracy and aiding and abetting an extortionate threat.
According to a complaint unsealed Tuesday, Giordani had answered a Boston Craigslist ad posted on April 11 by a man named Nguyen Mihn, with a New Jersey phone number. The ad offered $300 to someone who could buy and deliver “some item” to his eldest son, a Harvard University student.
Giordani allegedly bought fireworks in New Hampshire and several items from a Massachusetts’ Home Depot store, including a sturdy tool bag, a safe, and wires. On April 13, the Harvard University Police Department received a call from a computer-generated male voice, claiming that three bombs were planted around the Harvard Campus.
The caller demanded a large bitcoin transaction and threatened to detonate the bombs if the demands were not met. Each device had “an explosive yield of at least 80 megajoules and contain several pounds of metal shrapnel,” the caller continued, saying that the force would kill at least 40 students and injure hundreds more.
