Latest Post | Last 10 Posts | Archives
Previous Post: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Today’s edition of Capitol Fax (use all CAPS in password)
Next Post: Budget deal eliminates grocery tax, reduces retailer sales tax discount
Posted in:
* Sun-Times…
A [now] former DuPage County prosecutor [Samuel Cundari] has been charged with threatening two state lawmakers and several gun control groups, and suggesting a bomb could go off at a downstate LGBTQ festival. […]
None of the victims was identified in the complaint, but state Rep. Bob Morgan, D-Deerfield, who was the chief sponsor of Illinois’ assault weapons ban, confirmed to the Sun-Times that he was tagged in the post.
Another social media post on May 15 that prosecutors say Cundari made from a different X account with the user handle @jastownsends suggested a bomb threat at the Springfield PrideFest, which was held last week.
“I sure hope NOBODY leaves a pressure cooker filled with ball bearings, glass and nails, filled with diesel fuel and fertilizer, with the over pressure safety valve disabled, near a natural gas line. That would be VERY sad and VERY unfortunate,” read the post, which was made in reply to a separate post by an anti-LGBTQ organization, according to the complaint.
Springfield PrideFest was sponsored by Blue Cross Blue Shield. The insurance company’s X profile received a similar bomb threat post May 16 from the same @jastownsends account, prosecutors said […]
Cundari, a Wheaton resident, met with an FBI agent the next day and admitted to making the social media posts but insisted the comments were made as a “joke,” the complaint says.
The complaint alleges that on March 17, 2024, the Illinois State Police were contacted by two Illinois State Representatives about a threat that they had received via the social media company X, formerly known as Twitter. The social media post stated, “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.” Besides the two state representatives, five other individuals or groups were “tagged” with the post to include the Illinois Attorney General. As a result, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Springfield Division began an investigation.
The complaint further alleges that on May 15, 2024, the FBI’s National Threat Operations Center received an online tip regarding a post on X that seemed to be in response to an advertisement about the Springfield PrideFest which occurred on May 18, 2024. In the post, it states: “I sure hope NOBODY leaves a pressure cooker filled with bail bearings, glass, and nails, filled with diesel fuel and fertilizer, with the over pressure safety valve disabled, near a natural gas line line [sic]. That would be VERY sad and VERY unfortunate.”
The complaint also alleges that law enforcement traced the two social media posts to Samuel Cundari of DuPage County, Illinois who used the internet to communicate the threats. At the time the posts were made, Cundari was an Assistant State’s Attorney in DuPage County. If convicted of communicating an interstate threat, Cundari faces a maximum sentence of imprisonment of no more than five years. The charge also carries up to three years of supervised release and a possible fine of up to $250,000.
The investigation was led by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Springfield Field Office with assistance by multiple law enforcement agencies including: FBI Chicago and FBI Indianapolis Field Offices, the Illinois Secretary of State Police, the Illinois State Police, the Springfield Police Department, the Pierceton Police Department (Indiana), United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, the DuPage County State’s Attorney’s Office, DuPage County State’s Attorney’s Investigations Unit, and the DuPage County Sheriff’s Office. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah E. Seberger.
* Cundari’s Springfield PrideFest tweet was apparently in response to this post from Awake Illinois…
The Illinois Freedom Caucus focused on Blue Cross, which Cundari also threatened, in its press release about PrideFest…
The Illinois Freedom Caucus is urging Blue Cross Blue Shield to pull its sponsorship of the Family Area at this weekend’s Springfield Pridefest in light of the blatant sexualization of kids as young as 10 years old with the Teen Drag Show.
Not sayin’, just sayin’. But when you gin people up with that sort of heated language, there’s no telling what could happen.
posted by Rich Miller
Saturday, May 25, 24 @ 3:40 am
Sorry, comments are closed at this time.
Previous Post: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Today’s edition of Capitol Fax (use all CAPS in password)
Next Post: Budget deal eliminates grocery tax, reduces retailer sales tax discount
WordPress Mobile Edition available at alexking.org.
powered by WordPress.
I’ll say it Rich: the so-called “Freedom Caucus” is engaged in stochastic terrorism.
Keep telling people that one segment of society is “evil”, “demonic” and “something must be done about them” eventually it becomes normalized enough that violence is seen as not only acceptable but righteous.
Comment by Will Colquhoun Saturday, May 25, 24 @ 6:44 am
I’m glad Berlin is focused on spreading disinformation about the SAFE-T act instead of making sure his staff aren’t terrorists. Great job, Bob.
Comment by Excitable Boy Saturday, May 25, 24 @ 7:36 am
According to the Daily Herald, “Federal prosecutors did not seek detention, so Cundari was released on conditions Friday, including a prohibition against using social media, according to court records.”
I suppose any minute now we can expect Sen. Curran to call a press conference, joined by SA Berlin, demanding that Congress amend the federal law to require presumptive detention of people accused of threatening public officials, and claiming that this dangerous individual couldn’t be detained only because the law makes it too tough for prosecutors.
Comment by charles in charge Saturday, May 25, 24 @ 8:38 am
Samuel Cundari is also listed as the chair of the DuPage County Bar
Comment by anon Saturday, May 25, 24 @ 8:45 am
He “insisted the comments were made as a joke” People tend to not think it is funny to threaten their children. Nor does the FBI. How did he get hired as an ASA? Did anyone in DuPage SA check his social media?
Comment by Near Westside Saturday, May 25, 24 @ 11:21 am
- Did anyone in DuPage SA check his social media? -
I’ve been around plenty of bigots like this, they don’t typically hide it.
Comment by Excitable Boy Saturday, May 25, 24 @ 11:33 am
Gotta love these “culture of life” types…
Comment by low level Saturday, May 25, 24 @ 11:47 am
anon — fwiw, he was listed as the chair of the young lawyers division only. The DuPage County Bar President is Richard J. Veenstra, who I assume will be sending a crisp email to Mr. Cundari today…
Comment by Soccermom Saturday, May 25, 24 @ 1:30 pm
Also, apparently his wedding website at the Knot has been taken down. It doesn’t say whether the bride was being trolled unmercifully or actually came to her senses.
Comment by Soccermom Saturday, May 25, 24 @ 1:38 pm
Ha! He attended Lyons Township High School. I wonder if he was in my sister-in-law’s English class…
Comment by Soccermom Saturday, May 25, 24 @ 1:43 pm
But seriously - Berlin needs to stand up and talk about how this guy made it through the hiring process.
Comment by Soccermom Saturday, May 25, 24 @ 1:51 pm
So the posts were made by a sitting ASA. Was he a political hire? This is a disaster for Berlin… once again.
Comment by Lincoln Lad Saturday, May 25, 24 @ 2:33 pm
Former assistant prosecutor? Never heard of the guy
Comment by Anon Saturday, May 25, 24 @ 4:46 pm
Five years? Wow. How about two separate threats, two convictions, not to run concurrently. Ten years for threatening to kill children. As it stands, good behavior and no priors is going to make this a small sentence for an evil act by a person who surely knows what they did was unacceptable in a civil society.
Comment by H-W Saturday, May 25, 24 @ 5:51 pm
===Not sayin’, just sayin’. But when you gin people up with that sort of heated language, there’s no telling what could happen.===
The “freedom caucus” already includes people who have openly committed sedition and literally declared war against the United States.
This idiot is 30 years old and an attorney. The least surprising thing about him is that it appears he was a member of an SAE frat. I suppose he’s just trying to go back to the terrorist roots of that frat.
Comment by Candy Dogood Saturday, May 25, 24 @ 6:40 pm
Wheaton. Always Wheaton.
Comment by Shytown Saturday, May 25, 24 @ 8:09 pm
= Cundari . . . insisted the comments were made as a “joke,” =
I don’t think the ARDC will be laughing.
Comment by JoanP Saturday, May 25, 24 @ 8:36 pm
His answer to why political science is cognitive dissonance
https://www.facebook.com/eiupolisci/posts/pfbid024ZfG3g6iWE2ax2WvTpHzSVtY1eb93qf6wSKYHFr8y8GVA79Qppuy538Q9kuiSqHel
Comment by Big Dipper Sunday, May 26, 24 @ 6:02 pm