Feb. 27, 2018
Man Pleads Guilty to Social Media Threats Against Livingston High School
Newark – Acting Essex County Prosecutor Robert D. Laurino announced today that John Coulouris, 19, of Hackensack entered a guilty plea yesterday before the Honorable Judge Mark J. Nelson to eight counts related to threats against Livingston High School posted on social media in 2016.
Specifically, he admitted to making two posts on Sept. 13 and 23, 2016 where he created two fictitious Facebook accounts and posted threats against Livingston High School, according to Assistant Prosecutor Joseph Giordano, who handled the case.
On Sept. 13, 2016 he made a post from a fake account in the name of his ex-girlfriend’s mother and threatened to kill everyone at Livingston High School. On the Sept. 23, 2016 he made a second fictitious account where he threatened to “murder everyone” at Livingston High School, Assistant Prosecutor Giordano said.
He also admitted to conspiring with unknown individuals as part of a so-called hacking collective to send a bomb to the house of an Essex County Judge and to impersonating his ex-girlfriend, her parents, and a Livingston police detective by making multiple posts online using their names, said Assistant Prosecutor Giordano.
He also admitted to two counts of cyber harassment and invasion of privacy for posting his ex-girlfriend’s naked photo online and one count of terroristic threats for offering money to kill his ex-girlfriend’s mother.
Under the terms of the plea agreement he is expected to be sentenced to seven years in New Jersey State Prison. Sentencing is currently scheduled for April 6, 2018. The case was handled in Hudson County because of the threats against an Essex County Judge.
“The internet is not some magical place where the law does not apply, even when suspects take measures to hide their identity. We will investigate and prosecute threats to our schools and other similar “swatting incidents” to the fullest,” said Assistant Prosecutor Giordano.
