Former Northeastern University employee sentenced to prison after explosion hoax
BOSTON - The former Northeastern University employee convicted of staging a hoax explosion on campus will spend a year in prison.
A fake explosion
A federal judge sentenced Jason Duhaime, of San Antonio, Texas, to a year in prison on Monday.
In September 2022, Duhaime called 911 and said a package exploded in his lab. He told police he collected several packages from a mail area, including two Pelican hard plastic cases, and that when he opened one of the cases, it exploded. He also claimed sharp objects flew out during the explosion and injured his arms.
Police responded, calling in the bomb squad and evacuating the area. The incident also caused a panic on campus.
Investigators reveal hoax
When police arrived, Duhaime showed them a threatening letter he said he found inside the case, which claimed the lab was secretly working with Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and the U.S. government.
Police found a copy of the letter on Duhaime's personal computer. Investigators also noted that the case that he said detonated wasn't damaged and his injuries were superficial.
Duhaime was convicted in June 2024. He worked as the university's new technology manager and director of the Immersive Media Lab. He lived in Texas with his girlfriend and traveled to Boston, sleeping in his office or lab, to work at Northeastern.
Northeastern, a private university, has more than 18,000 undergraduate students and 22,000 graduate students.
