Former Babson College Student Who Threatened Athletes, Sentenced

WELLESLEY, MA — Addison Choi, the former Babson college soccer player who was accused of threatening at least 45 professional and collegiate athletes between July and December 2017, was sentenced to prison time on Friday.

Choi was sentenced to 18 months in prison, one year of supervised release, and a fine of $5,500. In July 2019, Choi pleaded guilty to one count of transmitting in interstate and foreign commerce a threat to injure the person of another.

In 2017 Choi attended played varsity soccer at Babson College. He also had a gambling problem, according to court documents. He often gambled on both professional and collegiate sports and he lost more than he won, according to the court documents.

When the players or teams that he bet on performed poorly, Choi would send them racist death threats over Instagram.

Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Field Division Joseph Bonavolonta called the threats "racist" and "vile."

“The anonymity and ease of internet-based communications has led to a steady decline in civility and a steady increase in internet-based threats and harassment,” said United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling.

Between July 2017 and December 2017, Choi allegedly posted threats to at least 45 different accounts, with multiple threats to each account and often multiple targets per threat.