Bad calls: Philly man pleads to making fake terror attack tips on fantasy football rival

A Philadelphia man has pleaded guilty to charges involved after he made fake tips to various officials in order to falsely accuse a fantasy football rival of planning to commit terror attacks.

On Wednesday, United States Attorney Jacqueline Romero announced that Matthew Gabriel, 25, of Philadelphia, pleaded guilty to two counts of interstate and foreign communication of a threat to injure after he targeted a member of his fantasy football group with false terror attack claims.

According to the plea agreement, the calls began after Gabriel had an "online disagreement with a member of his fantasy football chat group" and learned that this individual planned to study abroad in Norway in August of 2023.

On August 3, 2023, court documents note, while he was in Pennsylvania, Gabriel submitted an anonymous tip through the internet to the Norwegian Police Security Service, also known as Politiets Sikkerhetstjeneste, "claiming that a member of his fantasy football chat group was going to carry out a mass shooting in Norway."

As detailed by Romero's office, Gabriel's fake tip claimed his rival was working with others in order to "take out as many as they can at a concert and then head to a department store."

"I don’t know any more people then that, I just can’t have random people dying on my conscience. [H]e plans to arrive there unarmed spend a couple days normal and then execute the attack," read a fake tip shared by Romero's office "[P]lease be ready. [H]e is around a 5 foot 7 read [sic] head coming from America, on the 10th or 11th I believe. [H]e should have weapons with him. [P]lease be careful."

Romero's office said that law enforcement officials in Norway and the United States spent "hundreds of man-hours" investigating and reacting to the threatened mass shooting over the course of a five-day period.

When interviewed by the FBI, Gabriel admitted that he had submitted the false tip, Romero's office said.

But, Gabriel later made a second threat, Romero's office said.

On March 22, 2024, again as he was in Pennsylvania, Gabriel sent an email -- while posing as another individual -- to the University of Iowa with the subject line “Possible Threat.”

"Hello, I saw this in a group chat I’m in and just want to make sure everyone is safe and fine. I don’t want anything bad to happen to any body. Thank you. A man named... from I believe Nebraska sent this, and I want to make sure that it is a joke and no one will get hurt," read the email, according to court documents.

The email, court documents note, included a screenshot from the fantasy football group of a message that stated: “Hello University of Iowa a man named [Victim 1] told me he was gonna blow up the school.”

Instead, Romero's office said Gabriel knew that the target of his claims had never intended to blow up the university and that the screenshotted message had been "sent in jest by another member of the fantasy football group regarding Gabriel’s prior threat."

Despite knowing that there was no actual threat to the University of Iowa, Gabriel sent that email knowing that the University of Iowa would view it as a true threat, Romero's office said.

“While already being prosecuted for one hoax threat spurred by, of all things, his fantasy football league, Matthew Gabriel inexplicably decided to send another,” said Romero in a statement on this case. “His actions were extremely disruptive and consumed significant law enforcement resources on two continents, diverting them from actual incidents and investigations. Hoax threats aren’t a joke or protected speech, they’re a crime. My advice to keyboard warriors who’d like to avoid federal charges: always think of the potential consequences before you hit ‘post’ or ‘send.’”

Gabriel, Romero's office said, faces a maximum possible sentence of five years in prison, three years supervised release, a $250,000 fine, and a $100 special assessment fee.