Sentencing delayed in federal case for California man tied to Eau Claire school board threat

Jan. 18—EAU CLAIRE — A California man who authorities say sent death threats to the Eau Claire school board president, as well as many other people and organizations, is awaiting sentencing in federal court for similar offenses.

From a detention cell in California, Jeremy D. Hanson, 34, appeared via online videoconference on Wednesday for a sentencing hearing in front of U.S. District Court Judge Mark Mastroianni in Massachusetts District Court.

Hanson pleaded guilty in September to two counts of interstate transmission of threatening communications. Those indictments were for online death threats he made to the Massachusetts-based Merriam-Webster dictionary company in October 2021 and to the president of the University of North Texas in March.

Threats emailed in March to Tim Nordin, Eau Claire school board president, were among other instances mentioned in the U.S. Attorney's Office's sentencing memorandum, but are not part of the federal charges against Hanson.

On Wednesday, Judge Mastroianni decided to postpone handing down a sentence for Hanson until April. The judge ordered the continuance so Hanson's attorney could submit expert opinions on her client's mental health diagnosis.

Attorney Marissa Elkins had previously given the court records indicating that Hanson had gone to a mental health treatment program in Orange County, Calif., and received treatment there. She felt that and other documents clearly showed that Hanson had been diagnosed by professionals who found he has mental health problems.

"The mental health records are voluminous," she said on Wednesday.

Mastroianni acknowledged reading what Elkins had filed, but said the court needed an expert opinion to weigh Hanson's mental health problems when determining a sentence.

"If I was to proceed with what I have, it would be to the detriment of Mr. Hanson," he said to Elkins.

The judge set a status conference in the case for Feb. 28 and would then continue the sentencing on April 7. In the meantime, Hanson will remain at a California detention facility.

Prior to ordering the continuance, Mastroianni indicated he was mulling a sentence for Hanson somewhere between what Elkins was asking for and what the U.S. Attorney's Office is recommending.

"My initial thoughts at sentencing is I do not think this is appropriate for a time-served sentence," the judge said, alluding to Elkins request that Hanson be released under supervision.

"And I think the government's recommendation is fair, but I don't think I would go to the government's level as well," Mastroianni said.

The U.S. Attorney's Office is recommending Hanson spend 1 1/2 years in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release.

The federal sentencing memo filed earlier this month lists people, institutions, organizations and companies that Hanson has sent threats to.

An Irish politician, New York City rabbi, Madison alderperson, two professors at Loyola Marymount University, the president of the University of North Texas, California Gov. Gavin Newsom and his employees, and the Eau Claire school board were listed as receiving threats.

Companies threatened included Walt Disney Co., DC Comics, Hasbro Toys, Land O' Lakes, USA Today and Merriam-Webster. Threats also went to the American Civil Liberties Union, liberal social media group Sleeping Giants, Wikipedia, the Entomological Society of America, Amnesty International USA, and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

The first online death threats traced to Hanson were from 2014 and 2015, but the vast majority occurred between 2020 and last year.

Nearly all of the threats "were motivated by the defendant's biases based upon race, gender, gender identity and/or sexual orientation," the sentencing memo stated.

Hanson was briefly prosecuted last year in Eau Claire County for death threats against Nordin and his family. A charge of making terrorist threats was filed in April in Eau Claire County Court, but the District Attorney's Office got the case dismissed because Hanson was already facing prosecution in federal court for similar actions.

The email Hanson was accused of sending to Nordin threatened to kill the Eau Claire school board leader, his family and to shoot up the next school board meeting. Hanson accused Nordin of "promoting the horrific, radical transgender agenda." The threat arrived about six hours before a March school board meeting, which did then proceed, but had increased Eau Claire police supervision.

Police tracked the email back to a home in Los Alamitos, Calif. where Hanson's mother lived. She told authorities that her son leans far-right politically and had open cases with the FBI for making similar threats in other areas.