A federal grand jury in Springfield, Massachusetts, has indicted a Wilbraham man on charges of making violent threats through social media. The individual, Funwayo Mbilini Nyawo, also known by several aliases including “Jonathan Funwayo Nyawo,” “Michael Jacobs,” “Robert Jacobs,” and “Carl Fields,” faces 13 counts of interstate transmission of threatening communications and one count of stalking via interstate commerce facilities.
Nyawo, aged 36, was arrested earlier this month in the Southern District of Florida and remains detained pending his court appearance in Springfield. According to the indictment, between July 30 and October 1 of last year, Nyawo allegedly used the platform X (formerly Twitter) to issue threats against various public figures, private individuals, children in Wilbraham and Boston, as well as an elementary school in Springfield.
The threats targeted an elected United States official and their family, a former U.S. official and their family, a former Massachusetts police department member and their family, among others. Additionally, from mid-August to early October 2024, Nyawo is accused of using X with intent to harass and intimidate the elected U.S. official along with their family members.
If convicted on these charges, Nyawo could face up to five years in prison per charge. Additional penalties include three years of supervised release and fines reaching $250,000. Sentencing will be determined by a federal district court judge according to U.S. Sentencing Guidelines.
The announcement was made by United States Attorney Leah B. Foley alongside Jodi Cohen from the FBI's Boston Division and J. Thomas Manger from the United States Capitol Police. Support for the investigation came from local law enforcement agencies including the Wilbraham Police Department and others.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven H. Breslow from the Springfield Branch Office is leading the prosecution of this case. It should be noted that all charges are currently allegations; Nyawo is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.