Man Who Placed Fake Bomb At Harvard Sentenced to 3 Years Probation

William A. Giordani, a New Hampshire man arrested for placing a fake bomb in the Science Center Plaza on Harvard’s campus, will face three years of probation for failing to report a felony.

The Thursday sentence comes more than one year after Giordani placed a bag containing wires, fireworks, and a metal safe on a bench in the Science Center Plaza, leading to the evacuation of the Science Center and the plaza. Giordani — who pleaded guilty in January to the charge of misprision of a felony — faced a maximum sentence of up to three years and a fine up to $250,000, though prosecutors recommended a sentence of three years’s probation.

Giordani was arrested in May on charges of aiding in conspiracy and making threats, according to an investigation led by the FBI, the Harvard University Police Department, and the Cambridge Police Department.

Jane F. Peachy, Giordani’s public defender, did not respond to a request for comment.

Peachy told the press in May that she did not believe her client to be the main conspirator in the plot.

According to court filings, investigators said that Giordani responded to a Craigslist advertisement asking him to place the bag in the Plaza from an individual who called himself “Nguyen Minh,” although he later admitted to Giordani that the name was a false identity.

On April 13 of last year, HUPD received a series of calls from a computer-generated male voice demanding large amounts of Bitcoin, claiming to have planted three bombs on campus that would detonate if the demands were not met.

Authorities, however, have yet to charge a second suspect.

In a Friday interview, HUPD Chief Victor A. Clay said that he is “finding out the conclusion” of the investigation alongside the community. He added that he is unaware of the current status of authorities’ attempts to locate a second suspect.

In January, The Crimson reported an increased number of bomb threats targeting various locations around campus. Clay said that while he has sought aid from outside investigative resources to protect the campus, he recognized there is a “significant amount of concern” regarding the increase in bomb threats and the inability to track the caller back to the source.

—Staff writer Sally E. Edwards can be reached at sally.edwards@thecrimson.com. Follow her on X @sallyedwards04 or on Threads @sally_edwards06.

—Staff writer Asher J. Montgomery can be reached at asher.montgomery@thecrimson.com. Follow her on X @asherjmont or on Threads @asher_montgomery.