US court sentences Chinese citizen to prison for threatening person who promoted democracy in China

Xiaolei Wu allegedly reported his victim to the Chinese government after they posted a flier on or near the Berklee College of Music campus.

A Chinese citizen who threatened and harassed an individual who advocated for democracy in China has been sentenced to nine months in prison and three years of supervised release, the US Attorney’s Office in Massachusetts announced Wednesday. Xiaolei Wu, 26, who attended the Berklee College of Music in Boston, was convicted in January of one count of cyberstalking and one count of interstate transmissions of threatening communication, prosecutors said. CNN has reached out to the Federal Public Defender Office in Massachusetts, which is representing Wu, for comment. Wu is no longer enrolled as a student at Berklee College of Music, the school told CNN Wednesday. He was previously suspended from the school after the incident in 2022. CNN previously reported that Wu allegedly sent threatening messages to a person who posted a flier on or near the college campus supporting Chinese democracy, according to the complaint. “Post more, I will chop your bastard hands off,” Wu reportedly said on WeChat, a Chinese messaging app.