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Portland, Oregon 18 Year Old Arrested for Sending Threatening Internet Communication Resulting in New York School Closing
March 26, 2001
MARY JO WHITE, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, JEANINE PIRRO, the District Attorney of Westchester County, and BARRY W. MAWN, the Assistant Director In Charge of the FBI’s New York Office, announced the arrest today of BENJAMIN BALLARD, an 18-year-old resident of Portland, Oregon, on a criminal felony Complaint filed in White plains federal court charging he sent an interstate threatening communication via the Internet which led to the closing of the Edgemont School District on March 23, 2001.
BALLARD was taken into custody by the FBI in Portland and will be presented in federal court there later today.
According to the Complaint filed this morning, between 12:04 and 12:44 a.m., on March 23, 2001, BALLARD was online and engaged in an Instant Message Exchange with a student at Edgemont High School. During the exchange, it is alleged that BALLARD pretended to be a senior at Edgemont High School and warned the recipient not to go to school the next day because "theres going to be a lot of people dead tomorrow. but hey we get to be on the news thets the cool part. eve don’t try to warn the school because thats just going to hurt you."
Throughout the day on March 23, 2001, federal prosecutors and agents worked closely with local law enforcement officers and with the Westchester County District Attorney’s Office to identify the origin of the communication. The Complaint charges that by the end of the day on March 23, they were able to trace the communication to a computer at BALLARD’s home. It is alleged that the communication was sent by BALLARD from his personal computer, which agents seized.
BALLARD voluntarily surrendered to FBI agents this morning in Portland. Pursuant to federal law, he will be presented in Portland on the federal Complaint filed in the Southern District of New York.
If convicted, BALLARD faces a maximum sentence of five years in jail and a fine of $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss resulting from the offense.
Ms. WHITE praised the investigative efforts of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the assistance provided by the Westchester County District Attorney’s Office.
Assistant United States Attorney LAUREN GOLDBERG is in charge of the prosecution.
The charges contained in the Complaint are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
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