A former Northeastern University lab manager has been convicted of staging a fake explosion on the Boston campus and then lying about what happened to a federal agent.
Jason Duhaime, 46, of San Antonio, Texas, was convicted Friday by a federal jury on three counts. He faces up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 for each offense.
Court documents show that two attorneys representing Duhaime withdrew from the case in January. A public defender who replaced them could not immediately be reached for comment Saturday.
Duhaime was working as the university’s new technology manager and director of the Immersive Media Lab. In September 2022, he called university police to say he had collected several packages from a mailroom, including two Pelican hard plastic cases, and that when he opened one of the cases, it exploded, sending sharp objects flying out and injuring his arms.
Duhaime’s 911 call prompted a large police response. They evacuated the area and called the bomb squad.
He showed police a letter he said he found in the case, which claimed the lab was trying to make people live in a virtual reality world and was secretly working with Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and the US government.
“In the case you got today, we could have planted explosives, but not this time!!!” the letter read, according to court documents. “Pay attention!!! You have 2 months to shut down operations or else!!!!!”
But Duhaime’s story quickly unraveled, the FBI said. They found nothing in the suitcases and noted that the letter appeared to be in pristine condition. The FBI said Duhaime had superficial injuries to his arms but no damage to his shirt sleeves. And when agents searched Duhaime’s computer, they found a copy of the letter in a backup folder that he had written a few hours before he called 911.
“Bomb hoaxes like the one the defendant concocted here have real-life consequences. Communities are placed in fear, law enforcement personnel are diverted from other important duties, and there are significant financial consequences,” Acting U.S. Attorney Joshua Levy said in a statement. “As we face a wave of bombings at schools, houses of worship and other gathering places, we will work closely with our local, state and federal partners to hold accountable anyone who attempts to sow fear and suffering in our community.”
Northeastern, a private university, has more than 18,000 undergraduate students and 22,000 graduate students.
Duhaime will be sentenced in October. 2.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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