TUCSON, Ariz. – Michael Pengchung Lee, 27, of Tucson, has been sentenced to 16 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release, which includes substance abuse testing, a mental health assessment, location monitoring, and a prohibition against being on the University of Arizona campus. United States District Judge Rosemary Márquez handed down the sentence today. Lee pleaded guilty on April 10, 2024, to charges of transmitting interstate threats to commit a mass shooting at the University of Arizona.
According to the complaint, on October 22, 2023, Lee sent threats through a Snapchat group chat, expressing his intent to carry out a mass shooting at the university. Although not a student, Lee targeted “chads and stacies,” terms commonly used by self-described involuntary celibates (incels). He referenced incel ideology and concluded his threats by stating, “I’m gonna do it guys, my mind is made up and there’s nothing u can do or say to stop me.”
On April 10, 2024, Lee admitted to sending multiple threatening messages on October 22, 2023, to the group chat, referencing incel ideology and motivations. He also acknowledged threatening to commit a mass shooting at the university in at least two other Snapchat conversations, again citing incel ideology.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the University of Arizona Police Department, as part of the FBI’s Southern Arizona Violent Crime and Gang Task Force, conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam Rossi, District of Arizona, Tucson, handled the prosecution.
