Politics & Government

Ohio Man Charged with Posting Threatening Message to Pitt

The FBI arrested a 24-year-old Wednesday who is charged with making Internet threats via YouTube against the University of Pittsburgh.

A 24-year-old Ohio man faces federal charges for posting a video and comment on YouTube that threatened the University of Pittsburgh, U.S. Attorney David J. Hickton has announced.

Alexander Waterland, of Loveland, is charged with making Internet threats and violating the federal Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, Hickton said. 

He was arrested Wednesday morning by special agents of the FBI’s Pittsburgh and Cincinnati field offices and made an initial appearance in federal court in the Southern District of Ohio.

Find out what's happening in Sewickleywith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The charges carry a maximum penalty of seven years in prison, a fine of $500,000, or both; however the defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.

Waterland posted the video on April 26 titled “Anonymous Message to The University Of Pittsburgh,” according to the criminal complaint.

Find out what's happening in Sewickleywith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The video claimed the computer hacking group known as Anonymous had hacked into the University of Pittsburgh’s computer system and stolen records related to students, faculty and alumni, the criminal complaint states.

Part of the video contained a demand that the university chancellor issue a public apology for not safeguarding students’ welfare or the stolen information would be publicly released.

On May 2, AnonOperative13 posted a comment about the video, which included information about specific university employees and stated terms and a deadline for the apology.

Investigators determined the identity of AnonOperative13 is Waterland, according to Hickton. 

“These charges pertain to specific cyber threats in April and May of this year that targeted the University of Pittsburgh and caused disruption in campus operations,” Hickton said. “These threats were part of the series of threats received by the university since February. The investigation is comprehensive and ongoing.”

Assistant U.S. Attorney James T. Kitchen is prosecuting this case for the government.

The FBI Pittsburgh Division and the University of Pittsburgh Police Department conducted the investigation leading to the charges against Waterland.

 

–––––––––––––––

Like Sewickley Patch on Facebook or follow us on Twitter. Don't forget to sign up for our daily email newsletter by clicking here.

 


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

More from Sewickley