A 22-year-old man has admitted to faking a Middle Eastern accent and calling in a burst of bogus bomb threats to the Twin Cities airport, the Mall of America and numerous metro hotels.
Dana W. Ashey, formerly of Lewiston, Maine, pleaded guilty in federal court in St. Paul on Friday to making the late-night calls. He was arrested inside the mall on April 12, 2012, slightly more than 12 hours after the threats were made.
No explosives were found at the mall, the airport or at any hotel.
Ashey's criminal history includes convictions in 2009 for making a criminal threat and for receiving stolen property.
Paul Walsh • 612-673-4482
More from Star Tribune
More from Star Tribune
More from Star Tribune
More from Star Tribune
More from Star Tribune
More from Star Tribune
More from Star Tribune
More From Star Tribune
More From Local
Politics
Minnesota plan to close state addiction treatment facilities faces pushback
DHS wants to divert resources to address mental health crisis. Some fear Minnesota is 'robbing Peter to pay Paul' and women with addiction will suffer.
Business
Why you should donate clothing: It (probably) won't end up at the dump
Fast fashion is tough on the climate, but clothes can have second and third lives.
West Metro
4 are now charged in inside job armed robbery of Hopkins grocery store that netted $45K
Federal prosecutors say one of the co-conspirators provided information about the store's layout and how the money was handled.
Business
Minnesota added thousands of jobs in March but worker shortage still an issue
The aging population is causing pressure on the job market, though wages on the upswing.
East Metro
Private prison van driver, accused of raping St. Paul woman he was transporting, gets 30 years for similar attacks
The St. Paul woman alleged in a federal lawsuit that Marquet D. Johnson sexually assaulted her as he drove her from Texas to the Ramsey County jail. He was just sentenced to 30 years in prison for similar attacks on three other women.
