A Derby man faces a maximum of five years in federal prison after admitting he made bomb threats last year to the Connecticut Financial Center in New Haven.
Juan Rivera, Jr., 42, pleaded guilty Tuesday to a single count of conveying false information or perpetrating a hoax, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
The 26-story building houses the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the U.S. Probation Office, a U.S. bankruptcy court and the chambers for a federal judge.
On May 22, Rivera placed two notes at visible locations inside the building.
The first note, found on a vending machine at 11:23 a.m., said “a bomb will go off at noon today.”
The building was cleared, searched — and another note was found near a sink in a kitchenette.
“A bomb will go off at 1:00 p.m. today,” the note read.
At the time, Rivera was working as a maintenance mechanic in the building. Rivera said the notes were a joke, meant for a co-worker, according to authorities.
Judge Ellen Bree Burns scheduled sentencing for July 30.
