A New Hampshire man has owned up to his role in a bomb threat hoax that put Harvard University on high alert last April. William A. Giordani, 55, from Manchester, pleaded guilty to concealing a federal felony, after authorities say he stashed a faux bomb on campus and demanded Bitcoin with threats of detonation. According to a statement from the U.S. Attorney's Office, the incident led to an emergency evacuation of Harvard's Science Center Plaza and nearby buildings on April 13, 2023, as well as the deployment of a bomb squad.
The ruse began when Giordani, cooperating with an unidentified extortionist, deposited a tool bag containing a safe with fireworks and wires at the plaza. The plot thickened when a voice-disguised caller tipped off Harvard University Police about bombs planted across the campus. The ensuing chaos was quelled after police determined the so-called bomb was a hoax.
Judge Angel Kelley of the U.S. District Court has set Giordani's sentencing for April 25, 2024, following his indictment and arrest in 2023. A deeper probe unveiled Giordani's recruitment via a Craigslist ad and his subsequent omission to report the felony, opting instead to delete messages, and instruct his girlfriend to stay mum.
Giordani now faces up to three years in prison plus a year of supervised release, with Acting U.S. Attorney Joshua S. Levy and various local law enforcement heads confirming the guilty plea. The FBI's Boston Division, alongside Harvard's own police and the Cambridge Police Department, were among the authorities orchestrating the response to the false bomb threat.
