United States Attorney's Office District of Connecticut
Press Release

MAN WHO POSTED BOMB THREAT HOAX ON UNIVERSITY OF BRIDGEPORT WEBSITE IS SENTENCED, FACES DEPORTATION

Kevin J. O’Connor, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that SHRIKRISHNA GURUMURTHI, age 25 (DOB 4/21/1981) of Chicago, Illinois, was sentenced today by Senior United States District Judge Alan H. Nevas in Bridgeport to four months of imprisonment, time already served, and two years of supervised release for making a hoax bomb threat to the University of Bridgeport. GURUMURTHI is a citizen of India in the United States on a student visa, and has attended the University of Bridgeport. At the conclusion of today’s sentencing proceeding, GURUMURTHI was taken into custody by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement for deportation proceedings.

According to documents filed with the Court and statements made in court, GURUMURTHI posted a threat on www.bridgeport.edu, a website hosted by the University of Bridgeport, stating, among other things, that “Indian students are going to plant several bombs in various locations of this univ.” and “Going to happen soon. Watch out.”

GURUMURTHI has been detained since his arrest in Chicago on January 20, 2006. He pleaded guilty to the offense on April 13.

U.S. Attorney O’Connor noted that this case was prosecuted under the relatively new hoax bomb threat statute, which makes it a crime to convey false and misleading information under circumstances where such information indicates that a bombing, or similar activity, will take place. [18 U.S.C. § 1038(a).]

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF), and was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys David Ring and Mark Rubino.

CONTACT:

U.S. ATTORNEY'S OFFICE
Tom Carson
(203) 821-3722
thomas.carson@usdoj.gov