A Tucson man who threatened a mass shooting at the University of Arizona was sentenced Tuesday to 16 months in prison after pleading guilty to interstate threats, prosecutors said.
Michael Pengchung Lee, 27, sent multiple Snapchat messages in a group chat on Oct. 22, 2023 making the threats, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said at a news conference.
“In several messages, Lee threatened to commit a mass shooting at the university. In those messages, Lee referenced involuntary celibate (incel) ideology, language, and motivations, referring to mass shooter Elliot Roger, a self-identified incel and mass shoot/er in 2014, amongst other incel references.”
The plea document stated: “in at least two other Snapchat conversations, Lee threatened to commit a mass shooting at the university, citing the same incel ideology and motivations.”
Lee, who was not a UA student, faced a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.
Lee’s sentencing by U.S. District Court Judge Rosemary Márquez also includes substance abuse testing and a mental health assessment required. He will also be under to a “no contact” order for three years, where he will not be allowed to contact UA officials and will not be permitted on the campus.
“This case is a great example of how strong partnerships and a sense of urgency among all collaborators resulted in the swift apprehension of a person threatening our community,” said UA Police Chief Chris Olson.
The diligence of the UA police department and other law enforcement agencies surrounding this case is a “result of what happened in October of 2022,” Olson said, referring to the fatal shooting on campus of UA Professor Thomas Meixner by expelled former graduate student Murad Dervish.
UA officials were tipped off about Lee’s behavior, and three days after Lee sent the messages, he was arrested. While he did not have a firearm at the time of his arrest, one was found at a storage unit a month prior as part of a search warrant for a separate case involving Lee, and he had purchased another firearm from a local pawn shop the year before.
Law enforcement officials emphasized that tips from the public, like the tip about Lee, are crucial to stopping violence.
“”We rely on the public to give us tips,” said Jason Alexander, acting assistant special agent in charge at the FBI in Phoenix. “We get over 3,000 a day, we take every one of them seriously. We really rely on you guys out there to tell us when something doesn’t look right.”
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