Pennsylvania man lied about mass shooting due to fantasy football feud

The Philadelphia Inquirer reports that 25-year-old Matthew Gabriel of Philadelphia became involved in some sort of altercation with another member of his league following an argument between the two.

The same Inquirer article describes how Gabriel then warned authorities that his rival, a University of Iowa student, was planning a shooting spree at a concert and a department store in Oslo, Norway, where the rival was studying abroad at the time.

“I just can't have it on my conscience that people die by chance,” was Gabriel's message to Norwegian police protection. Two weeks later, he also sent another warning about a bomb threat to the University of Iowa.

According to a statement posted on the website of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, law enforcement agencies in Norway and the U.S. subsequently spent hundreds of man-hours investigating these claims. When questioned further, Gabriel confessed that the threats were false.

Gabriel pleaded guilty to two counts of transmitting interstate threats, the Washington Post reports. Prosecutors agreed at sentencing in January to recommend 15 months of house arrest and three years of probation, rather than the maximum five years in prison normally imposed for each count.

It remains unclear what dispute prompted Gabriel to act.

“While already charged with a hoax instigated by his fantasy football league, Matthew Gabriel inexplicably decided to send another one,” said U.S. Attorney Jacqueline C. Romero. “His actions were highly disruptive and consumed significant law enforcement resources on two continents, diverting them from actual incidents and investigations.”

“Fake threats are not a joke or protected speech, they are a crime. My advice to keyboard warriors who want to avoid federal prosecution: Always think of the potential consequences before you hit 'send' or 'post.'”