A 25-year-old Philadelphia man found himself in legal trouble after taking a fantasy football feud too far, ultimately pleading guilty to federal felony charges.
Matthew Gabriel admitted to sending two fake tips to authorities in Norway and Iowa, falsely claiming that a member of his fantasy league was planning a mass shooting in Norway and a bombing at the University of Iowa, as announced by United States Attorney Jacqueline C. Romero.
He confessed to sending the fake tips and pleaded guilty to two counts of transmitting interstate threats in front of a federal judge.
The feud’s origin was not disclosed by federal prosecutors, but Gabriel sent his first anonymous tip on August 3, 2023, to the Norwegian Police Security Service via the Internet.
In the tip, Gabriel falsely accused a fellow fantasy football group member, who was studying in Norway, of planning an attack upon his arrival in the country later that month.
Gabriel provided details about the victim, obtained from the fantasy football group chat, and claimed that multiple people were involved in the planned attack at a concert and a department store, stating, “I just can’t have random people dying on my conscience.”
This false tip led to a significant investigative effort that spanned over 900 hours and eventually led to Gabriel admitting to the FBI that he had sent the fake tip.
Despite facing federal charges for the initial hoax, Gabriel sent another email in March to the University of Iowa, posing as someone else to report a fake threat, referencing a joke he had previously made.
Prosecutors revealed that Gabriel sent a screenshot from the fantasy football group chat, claiming that a person named [Victim 1] had threatened to blow up the University of Iowa.
Prosecutors noted that Gabriel knew the threat was not real and was meant as a joke, referencing his earlier false tip.
United States Attorney Jacqueline C. Romero condemned Gabriel’s actions, stating that hoax threats are not a joke and divert law enforcement resources from real incidents.
As part of a deal with prosecutors, Gabriel is likely to receive a 15-month house arrest sentence and three years of probation, avoiding jail time.
In an interview, Gabriel’s attorney described the incident as a “practical joke” that went too far, and acknowledged his client’s luck in receiving house arrest as punishment.
