An Illinois-based former prosecutor finds himself on the other side of the law after allegedly making threatening posts on Twitter, aimed at both public officials and an event. Samuel J. Cundari faces a federal charge of transmitting a threat to injure another person in interstate commerce, as announced by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of Illinois. This charge follows the discovery of his reported incendiary comments on the social media platform.
In one particularly egregious post, Cundari is accused of stating, “Our patience grows short with you. The day we put your kids feet first into a woodchipper so we can enjoy their last few screams is coming.” This message was reportedly directed at two state representatives. Compounding his legal troubles, Cundari also allegedly posted a second threat under an advertisement for the Springfield, Illinois, PrideFest, suggesting a potential bomb threat, which involved a detailed description of an improvised explosive device.
When questioned by the FBI, Cundari claimed his comments were merely jokes. However, the nature of the threats and his background as a former prosecutor led to serious consequences, highlighting the importance of ensuring stringent background checks for those in such positions of authority. More details on the case can be found in the ABA Journal and the official press release by the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
This incident serves as a sobering reminder for legal and governmental entities to regularly monitor the social media conduct of their employees to prevent similar situations from occurring.