Hutchinson Man Indicted for Reporting False Bomb Threat to FBI

April 26, 2010 - A 26-year-old Hutchinson, Minnesota, man was recently indicted in federal court in the District of Minnesota for allegedly providing the Federal Bureau of Investigation with false information regarding a supposed bomb threat involving an Oklahoma sports arena. In the indictment, which was filed under seal in U.S. District Court on April 13, 2010, Daniel Gerald Peterson was specifically charged with one count of offering false information and hoaxes. The indictment was unsealed following Peterson’s initial appearance in federal court in Minneapolis earlier today. The indictment alleges that on September 13, 2009, Peterson reported to the Federal Bureau of Investigation detailed information about another person’s purported plan to bomb the Bank of Oklahoma Center, in Tulsa, Oklahoma. As a result, the FBI conducted an extensive investigation, ultimately determining the threat was fabricated, and the claim made to authorities was false.

If convicted, Peterson faces a potential maximum penalty of five years in prison for his crime. Any sentences will be determined by a federal district court judge.

This case is the result of an investigation by the FBI and the Hutchinson Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew R. Winter.

An indictment is a determination by a grand jury that there is probable cause to believe that offenses have been committed by a defendant. A defendant, of course, is presumed innocent until he or she pleads guilty or is proven guilty at trial.