An Oahu man has been given a 70-month prison sentence following a series of bomb threat emails he sent to various buildings across the United States, including locations in Utah and California. Bryan Melvin Brandenburg, aged 65, was convicted by a federal jury on seven counts connected to these threatening communications. Following the verdict, U.S. District Judge Leslie E. Kobayashi issued the sentence accompanied by a one-year term of supervised release, as confirmed by United States Attorney Clare E. Connors.
The case unfolded when Brandenburg, who was at the time embroiled in the proceedings of his divorce in a Utah state court, let frustration carry him beyond the pale of civility, on May 4, 2022, Brandenburg disseminated an email threatening to bomb the state courthouse. He proceeded to issue threats against the Utah State Capitol, offices of authority in Salt Lake City, every Ivy League institution, and a federal courthouse in San Diego. His actions prompted rigorous security measures and palpable fear.
According to a statement obtained by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Hawaii, these messages led to a significant response from law enforcement agencies, including evacuations and extended searches. Particularly, the University of Utah Police Department conducted an evacuation during a final exam, and searches were carried out at Hall Labs and the University of Utah Center for Medical Innovation. Despite the panic, no actual explosives were discovered at any of the threatened locations.
In court, Brandenburg confessed that his aim was "to raise eyebrows" and ensure that individuals "take my emails seriously." Judge Kobayashi, addressing the gravity of Brandenburg's behavior, said, "It doesn't matter who you are, you don't treat people like that," asserting that "in a humane society, we don't lash out," as reported by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Hawaii.
As U.S. Attorney Clare E. Connors put it, words carry consequences, and the legal system stands prepared to act when those words aim to disrupt and terrify. "Making threats to harm innocent people is incomprehensible and will not be tolerated," FBI Honolulu Special Agent in Charge Steven Merrill emphasized, as reported by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Hawaii.
