Man convicted in Texas university bomb hoax
Apr 10, 2013, 11:53 PM
HOUSTON (AP) – A federal jury has convicted a man in a Texas State University bomb hoax.
A Justice Department statement says 22-year-old Dereon Tayronne Kelley of Bryan is guilty of three counts of using the Internet to make a false bomb threat. Sentencing in federal court in Houston is scheduled for next month. Kelley could receive up to 10 years in prison and a fine up to $250,000.
Trial evidence showed Kelley hacked into the email account of his ex-girlfriend, a former student at the university in San Marcos, 30 miles south of Austin. He used that account to send threatening emails to the university’s admissions office.
The ex-girlfriend was initially charged with making the threats, but the case against her was dropped after prosecutors traced the Oct. 18 threats to Kelley.
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