California man Jeremy Hanson sentenced for making anti-LGBTQ threats against Springfield-based Merriam-Webster, Inc.
SPRINGFIELD - A California man was sentenced in federal court for making anti-LGBTQ threats against dictionary company Merriam-Webster, Inc., which is based in Springfield.
Jeremy David Hanson, 34, was sentenced to one year and one day in prison and three years of supervised release. He pleaded guilty to one count of interstate communication of threatening communications to commit violence against Merriam-Webster employees back in September. He also pleaded guilty to the same charge for threatening the president of the University of North Texas.
Hanson also admitted to sending threats to the Walt Disney Company, California Governor Gavin Newsom, New York City Mayor Eric Adams, a New York rabbi, and professors at Loyola Marymount University.
In October 2021, Hanson sent threatening messages through Merriam Webster's website, specifically targeting gender identities. He also left threats in the comments section on the webpages for the words "girl" and "woman." In one threatening comment, he said he would "shoot up and bomb your offices for lying and creating fake definitions in order to pander to the tranny mafia." He also sent a threatening comment to the president of the University of North Texas in March 2022.
"Hate has no place in Massachusetts. Every person has a right to live their life authentically and without fear. I hope today's sentence will demonstrate to members of the LGBTQ+ community that this office will hold those who engage in threatening, hateful acts accountable. Mr. Hanson made numerous, anonymous hate-fueled threats of violence to intimidate and instill fear," said United States Attorney Rachael Rollins in a statement. "Hateful and bigoted acts, even if only spoken like those committed by Mr. Hanson, terrorize communities and are destructive to our society."