Cornell student jailed for antisemitic threats

A former student at Cornell University has been sentenced to nearly two years in prison for threatening to kill members of the university’s Jewish community last autumn, according to the prosecutor’s office.

Patrick Dai received a 21-month prison sentence on Monday, followed by three years of supervised release, as confirmed by Richard Southwick from the US Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of New York.

Dai was arrested in October shortly after antisemitic threats appeared in an online forum. At the time, he was a junior at the Ivy League institution.

In April, Dai pleaded guilty to one count of making a threat using interstate communication after negotiating a plea deal with federal prosecutors, according to court records. As part of the deal, Dai admitted to posting threats to kill and injure Jewish people and to “shoot up” Cornell’s kosher dining hall, which is located near the school’s Center for Jewish Living.

Dai’s attorney, Lisa Peebles, expressed plans to appeal the sentence, arguing that the judge improperly applied certain sentencing enhancements.

“We were obviously disappointed because we were seeking a sentence of time served, as he’s already served close to 10 months,” Peebles conveyed during a phone call on Monday.

Following the threats, Cornell University police increased patrols and heightened security measures for Jewish students and organisations. New York State Police also bolstered campus security, according to Governor Kathy Hochul.

The threats arose amid a reported increase in antisemitic incidents during the conflict between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas. The Anti-Defamation League noted a nearly 400% rise in antisemitic incidents in the US following Hamas’s attack on Israel on October 7, and FBI Director Christopher Wray mentioned in a Senate hearing that antisemitism in the US was reaching “historic levels.”

In court documents, Dai’s legal team claimed he is “pro-Israel” and that his posts were a “misguided attempt” to garner support for the country.

“He believed, wrongly, that the posts would prompt a ‘blowback’ against what he perceived as anti-Israel media coverage and pro-Hamas sentiment on campus,” Peebles wrote in a sentencing memorandum.

Peebles also noted that Dai had started taking medication for a depressive disorder during the summer of 2023, which he reported made him feel worse. He was recently diagnosed with autism, which his attorney argued contributed to his “flawed logic.”

Prosecutors, in their own sentencing memorandum, expressed scepticism about Dai’s “self-serving post hoc claims” but acknowledged his mental health issues.

“That said, many people go through periods where they feel isolated and/or depressed, and lots of people face mental health challenges,” prosecutors wrote. “Those tests and challenges do not give anyone the right to terrorise their neighbours and classmates.”

Cornell University and Cornell Hillel were contacted for comments.

US Attorney Carla B. Freedman noted in a statement that the court recognised this as a hate crime under federal Sentencing Guidelines, citing the targeting of Jewish students and substantial disruption to the university’s educational mission.

“The defendant’s threats terrorised the Cornell campus community for days and shattered the community’s sense of safety. My office will continue to aggressively investigate and prosecute threats and acts of violence motivated by antisemitism and by hatred of any kind,” Freedman stated.

Cornell University Police Chief Anthony Bellamy remarked that the sentencing demonstrates that “threats against our community will not be tolerated.”