(CNN) A Northeastern University employee who told police last month that he was was injured by a package explosion fabricated the story and now faces hoax charges, according to a criminal complaint.
Jason Duhaime, who was Director of New Technology and Director of the Immersive Media Lab at Northeastern University, was charged with transmitting false information and pranks related to an explosive device and making materially false and fictitious statements to a U.S. government agency, according to the complaint.
“Throughout the investigation, we believe he repeatedly lied to us about what happened inside the lab, faked his injuries and wrote a strange letter addressed to the lab threatening more violence,” said FBI Special Agent Joseph Bonavolonda. . Tuesday.
Duhaime was arrested in Texas Tuesday morning and will appear before a judge this afternoon, U.S. Attorney Rachael Rollins said.
CNN has reached out to his defense attorney for comment.
The report of an explosion on September 13 led to an evacuation of Northeastern's campus in Boston, diverted law enforcement resources and caused panic, Rollins said Tuesday.
“His alleged actions diverted significant law enforcement resources away from key public safety issues and caused fear and panic not only on campus but also in the homes of the families, friends and loved ones of Northeastern students, faculty and staff as well as the people who live and they work near Northeastern's campus,” he said.
According to the complaint, Duhaime, 45, called 911 to report that he was injured by very sharp objects ejected from a plastic case he had collected from the mail room and opened in Northeastern's virtual reality lab. Officials at the time said he suffered minor injuries to his hand.
He also told investigators he found a threatening note with the case that accused the lab of secretly working for Facebook and Meta founder Mark Zuckerberg in a U.S. government plot to take over society through virtual reality, according to the complaint. .
However, investigators found the case and the letter had no signs of damage and discovered a document on Duhaime's computer that was “word for word” the same as the threatening letter, the complaint states.
The case that allegedly exploded was empty and showed no signs of damage, according to the criminal complaint.
Authorities also said that when Duhaime showed “fairly small, superficial marks or bruises” on his forearms to the responding officer, he held up long sleeves that did not appear to have damage.
Additionally, a student who was in the lab during the alleged explosion told investigators he heard no noise except for Duhaime's voice, the complaint states.
“Given the lack of physical evidence and the fact that the Letter was found on a computer in Duhaime's office, the significant inconsistencies between Duhaime's story and Student #1's recollection of events support a finding that Duhaime is untruthful,” it says. the affidavit .
Northeastern University released a statement Tuesday saying Duhaime is no longer employed by the university.
“Northeastern would like to thank the professionals from the FBI, the US Attorney's Office and the Boston Police Department who completed this investigation,” the university said. “Knowing what we now know about this incident, we want to make it clear that there was never any danger to the Northeastern community. As always, the safety of our students, faculty and staff is our highest priority.”
One online resume for Duhaime on Northeastern's website he says he is a “young director of technology” who managed virtual/augmented reality and 360 immersive technology for the university.
CNN's John Miller and Brynn Gingras contributed to this report.
