Former DuPage County prosecutor accused of threatening state lawmakers on X
CHICAGO — A former DuPage County prosecutor accused of making threats against state lawmakers and the Illinois Attorney General over social media has been charged.
30-year-old Samuel Cundari, who was an Assistant State’s Attorney in DuPage County, has been charged with transmitting in interstate commerce a threat to injure another person, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Central District of Illinois.
Prosecutors say authorities were initially contacted by two Illinois State Representatives on March 17, after they were allegedly tagged in a threatening post on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.
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The post allegedly 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.”
Five other people or groups were also allegedly tagged in the post, including the Illinois Attorney General, and as a result, the FBI began an investigation.
Prosecutors say a couple of days prior, on May 15, a tip came into the FBI’s National Threat Operations Center regarding another post on X that appeared to be in response to an advertisement about the Springfield PrideFest, which took place on May 18.
Prosecutors say the post allegedly stated “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.”
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According to prosecutors, authorities were able to trace back the two social media posts to Cundari.
Cundari was subsequently arrested and charged.
If convicted, Cundari could face up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a possible fine of up to $250,000.
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