Criminal Justice
Former prosecutor sentenced after making online threats against LGBTQ+ event and others
A former prosecutor in DuPage County, Illinois, who pleaded guilty to making an online bomb threat against an LGBTQ+ festival in downstate Illinois has been sentenced to home confinement and supervised release. (Image from Shutterstock)
A former prosecutor in DuPage County, Illinois, who pleaded guilty to making an online bomb threat against an LGBTQ+ festival in downstate Illinois has been sentenced to home confinement and supervised release.
Samuel Cundari of Wheaton, Illinois, was an assistant state’s attorney in 2024 when he made social media threats against the festival and statements of harmful intent directed at two state lawmakers and gun control groups.
One post made by Cundari on X, formerly Twitter, about the Springfield PrideFest read: “I sure hope nobody leaves a pressure cooker filled with ball bearings, glass and nails, filled with diesel fuel and fertilizer, with the over pressure safety valve disabled, near a natural gas line. That would be very sad and very unfortunate,” according to coverage by the Chicago Sun-Times.
Later, FBI agents met with Cundari, who admitted to making the posts but said they were meant to be jokes. After being charged, he was removed from his position as an assistant state’s attorney.
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