A former Berklee College of Music student, a Chinese national, has been sentenced to prison for threatening a pro-democracy advocate, federal authorities announced yesterday. Xiaolei Wu, who is 26, will serve nine months behind bars, followed by three years of supervised release for engaging in a campaign of stalking and cyber harassment.
According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, starting on October 22, 2022, Wu began to incessantly target the individual who had dared to publicly support democratic principles in China through flyers. Wu used WeChat, email, and Instagram to convey his threats to the victim, including one particularly chilling message warning, "Post more, and I will chop your bastard hands off."
Judge Denise J. Casper of the U.S. District Court passed down the sentence after a federal jury found Wu guilty on charges of cyberstalking and transmitting threats across state lines. " He harnessed the fear of potential retribution from the PRC government to harass and threaten an innocent individual," stated Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy. "Our office and the Department of Justice will not tolerate efforts to intimidate and threaten people to suppress their First Amendment rights," added Levy, highlighting the seriousness of the offense, as reported by the U.S. Attorney's Office.
The FBI contributed significantly to the investigation, with Special Agent in Charge of the Boston Division, Jodi Cohen, stating that Wu's actions were "incredibly disturbing." She praised the victim's courage for coming forward and reinforced the bureau's commitment to fiercely protect the constitutional rights of individuals. According to Cohen, Wu leveraged "the authoritarian nature of the People’s Republic of China to threaten this woman" and crossed the line into criminal activity by doing so, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
The prosecution was carried out by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Timothy H. Kistner and Alathea E. Porter of the National Security Unit, with assistance from Counterintelligence and Export Control Section Trial Attorney Menno Goedman. This multi-agency effort illustrates the gravity with which the United States regards the protection of its citizens' fundamental rights, even in the face of international intimidation tactics.
