NFL bomb hoax man pleads guilty
A Wisconsin man has pleaded guilty to creating an Internet hoax that claimed "dirty bombs" would be set off at seven U.S. football stadiums, prompting a security scare, the U.S. Attorney's Office in New Jersey said.
Jake Brahm, 23, pleaded guilty in federal court in Newark, New Jersey, to one charge of conveying false and misleading information. He faces up to five years in prison and a fine of $250,000 when he is sentenced on June 5.
Bomb threat: Miami was one of the teams that were mentioned in the bomb hoax
Brahm admitted that during September and October 2006 he posted a message 40 times on the Internet that seven explosive devices would be set off in cities hosting NFL games including Miami, New York, Atlanta, Seattle, Houston, Cleveland and Oakland, California.
He claimed the bombs would cause nearly 100,000 deaths, authorities said.
The dirty bombs would be delivered by trucks and eventually be celebrated by al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden as "America's Hiroshima," according to his indictment. Dirty bombs release radioactive material and security experts say their potential impact is largely psychological.
The U.S. Attorney's Office said that until the messages were determined to be a hoax they caused a "significant mobilization of law enforcement, public safety and security resources."
Brahm turned himself into authorities in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in late October 2006. He remains free on bail.
