A federal judge has sentenced Catherine Leavy, 37, of Westfield, to three years of probation for making a false bomb threat to Boston Children’s Hospital in 2022.
The children’s hospital is home to the Gender Multispecialty Service (GeMS) program which, according to the website, provides “affirmative care to gender-diverse and transgender individuals and their families.”
The U.S. District Attorney’s Office claims that
On Aug. 30, 2022, Boston Children’s Hospital received a telephonic bomb threat in which the caller said, “There is a bomb on the way to the hospital, you better evacuate everybody you sickos.” As a result of the call, the hospital and surrounding area was placed on lockdown status and a bomb squad was dispatched. An investigation determined that there were no explosive devices located at the hospital. Subscriber and call detail records and location information for the phone number that called in the threat determined that the phone number was subscribed in Leavy’s name. In addition, cell tower data indicated the phone was nearby Leavy’s residence at the time the bomb threat was made.
Investigators searched Leavy’s residence and found the phone used to make the bogus calls. Leavy admitted to making the call but assured officers that she had no intention of fulfilling the threat.
She ultimately pleaded guilty to one count of making a false bomb threat and one count of intentionally conveying false or misleading information about a bomb’s location.