Guilty Verdict
A former employee of Northeastern University, Jason Duhaime, was convicted on Friday of staging a hoax explosion in 2022 and fabricating a story about being injured by a package delivered to the Boston campus. A federal jury in Boston found Duhaime, 47, guilty of conveying false information related to an explosive device and lying to investigators following the incident.
Incident and Emergency Response
The hoax, which occurred on September 13, 2022, led to a significant emergency response, including police and bomb squads evacuating buildings on campus. This marked one of the most notable local responses to a bomb threat since the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing.
Duhaime, who was the new technology manager and director of Northeastern’s Immersive Media Lab at the time, called 911 to report being injured by a “violent note” inside a package. He claimed that “very sharp” objects had flown out of the hard plastic case.
Investigation and Prosecution
Prosecutors revealed discrepancies in Duhaime’s story, noting that his arms had only superficial marks, while his shirt, the package, and the note showed no signs of damage. Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy Kistner, in his opening statement, said, “And the reason was the defendant made the whole thing up.”
The note inside the package contained rants about virtual reality, the Immersive Media Lab, Meta Platforms founder Mark Zuckerberg, and included references known only to a few people, including Duhaime. Despite the lack of evidence supporting his claims, Duhaime continued to insist on the veracity of his story when interviewed by police and federal agents.
