California man charged with threatening dictionary publisher

BOSTON (AP) — A California man’s threats of online violence against dictionary publisher Merriam-Webster Inc. over updated gender definitions landed him in federal court in Massachusetts.
Merriam-Webster closed its main office in Springfield, Massachusetts, and another in New York for five business days last year in response to comments from Jeremy David Hanson, prosecutors said. An email seeking comment was left with a spokesperson for Merriam-Webster on Monday.
Hanson, 34, of Rossmoor, Calif., also allegedly made anti-LGBTQ threats to other organizations.
Hanson was charged last week with interstate communication of threats to commit acts of violence, according to a statement from the US attorney’s office in Boston. He is scheduled to appear in federal court Friday in Springfield.
Prosecutors say Hanson threatened to shoot and bomb the publisher, but the affidavit does not say whether any weapons or explosives were found during the investigation.
If convicted, Hanson faces up to five years in prison.
In an interview with the FBI on October 27, Hanson said he suffered from obsessive-compulsive disorder, Asperger’s syndrome, anxiety and depression, and had trouble controlling his impulses. He said he understood the threatening remarks he was making online were illegal, but he was unable to control himself. His mother said in an FBI interview in May 2021 that he did not have access to weapons.