Ex-DuPage Prosecutor Sentenced For Threats To Lawmakers, Gun Control Groups, LGBTQ Advocates

ELMHURST, IL – A former DuPage County assistant state's attorney was sentenced last month for threatening two state lawmakers, gun control groups and a downstate LGBTQ event, according to court documents.

In federal court, Samuel J. Cundari, 32, was given three years of supervised release. He lives with his parents in the 500 block of Seventh Avenue in La Grange, court records say.

A judge ordered that Cundari serve one year of home confinement and electronic monitoring. He was also required to pay $7,674 to the city of Springfield.

The Chicago Sun-Times was the first to report on the sentencing.

Cundari pleaded guilty to a charge of interstate communication with a threat to injure.

On March 17, 2024, two Illinois state representatives contacted state police about a threat they received on X.

The message said, "Our patience grows short with you. The day we put your kids' feet first into a wood chipper so we can enjoy their last few screams is coming."

Gun control groups and the attorney general were tagged in the post.

Authorities also discovered that a person, later identified as Cundari, left a threatening message in response to an advertisement for Springfield PrideFest, which advocates for the LGBTQ community.

The post said, "I sure hope NOBODY leaves a pressure cooker filled with ball bearings, glass, and nails, filled with diesel fuel and fertilizer, with the over pressure safety valve disabled, near a natural gas line. That would be VERY sad and VERY unfortunate.”

The same message was sent earlier to Springfield PrideFest sponsor Blue Cross Blue Shield, an insurance company, authorities said.

Cundari used fake names, but authorities discovered his identity through subpoenas to social media companies.

In May 2024, an FBI agent met with Cundari at a local park to ask him about the messages.

Cundari admitted he was behind the fake names, authorities said. With the X message, Cundari said he "made a joke" as he was trying to "get the goat" of another X user, according to court records.

He also told the FBI that he had no experience with explosives and only knew about pressure cooker explosives by watching the History Channel, authorities said.

Cundari could not be immediately reached for comment Wednesday.