A 56-year-old man was sentenced to two years of probation on Thursday after admitting he threatened to shoot a spokesman connected to Utah's controversial Stratos data center project, sending texts so alarming that the victim's family fled their own home for two weeks. Daniel Charles Kasimow pleaded to stalking, a class A misdemeanor, after charging documents accused him of threatening Casey Hill and Hill's business partner over a period of days in May.
Threats Sent Despite Warnings to Stop
According to KSL News, charging documents said Kasimow sent text messages to Hill and his business partner from May 22 through May 28, despite being told by both the victim and law enforcement to stop. One of the messages read, “I'll just shoot you in the face.” Hill was hired as a spokesman for Kevin O'Leary in relation to the Stratos data center project in Box Elder County, Utah, the outlet reported.
A separate message, cited in earlier KSL coverage of the charges, threatened Hill and his business partner directly over the project: “You … better pray to Jesus Christ that data center doesn't come to Utah or (you're) both dead.” That report detailed the initial criminal filing against Kasimow following the string of texts.
Family Fled Home, Spent Thousands on Security
The fallout reached well beyond threatening words. Hill's daughter was on hospice care while the threats were occurring, and his family made the decision to move all of her medical equipment so they could stay with relatives for two weeks because they did not feel safe in their own home, per the same account from KSL. Charging documents said Hill spent thousands of dollars on security measures for his home in addition to relocating.
Earlier charging documents put a more specific figure on that spending, saying Hill spent approximately $14,000 on additional security measures, including a police camera placed at his home and increased police patrols. Hill told KSL that Kasimow's threats significantly affected him and his family, though he said he held no personal ill will toward Kasimow and was not seeking revenge. He added that opposing a project differs fundamentally from threatening the people involved in it.
Plea Deal Dismisses Several Charges
In an Oct. 23 plea statement, Kasimow admitted to engaging in a course of conduct directed at someone and being reckless about whether that conduct would cause a reasonable person to fear for their safety, the station reported. As part of the plea deal, four counts of making a threat of violence and four counts of electronic communication harassment, all class B misdemeanors, were dismissed.
Those dismissed charges stemmed from the original filing, though accounts of exactly how many counts Kasimow initially faced have varied. KSL's report on the charges described four counts each of threat of violence and electronic communication harassment, while ABC4 reported Kasimow was charged with three counts of threat of violence alongside four counts of electronic communication harassment.
Third District Judge Adam Mow suspended the statutory sentence of one year in jail, ordering probation instead. Kasimow did not speak at sentencing, though charging documents noted he had written an apology letter. The sentencing took place in a courthouse setting similar to Salt Lake City's Matheson Courthouse, where such proceedings are held.
A Project That Has Drawn Fierce Opposition
The Stratos data center has become a flashpoint well beyond this single criminal case. A poll of more than 500 registered Box Elder County voters, with results released in June, found that more than 70% of respondents opposed construction of the data center, according to the Salt Lake Tribune. That local resistance mirrors a national mood: a Gallup survey from March found that seven in 10 Americans oppose an AI data center being built in their area, as reported by the Christian Science Monitor.
The Monitor also noted that at least 75 data center projects worth approximately $130 billion were blocked or delayed nationwide in the first quarter of 2026, according to the research firm Data Center Watch, with lawmakers in 15 states introducing legislation for bans or pauses and more than 100 localities already approving their own. Nothing in the record ties that broader pushback to Kasimow's conduct, but it underscores the heated climate surrounding the Stratos project that Hill found himself representing.
