NJ Man Admits Role In Livingston HS Threats, Bomb Conspiracy

LIVINGSTON, NJ — A 19-year-old North Jersey man has pleaded guilty to his role in a series of threats made to Livingston High School that were posted to social media in 2016. He also admitted being part of a “hacking collective” that conspired to send a bomb to the house of an Essex County judge, posting a naked photo of his ex-girlfriend online and impersonating a Livingston police detective, prosecutors said.

On Monday, John Coulouris, 19, of Hackensack, pleaded guilty to several offenses related to a pair of Facebook posts that threatened the lives of people at Livingston High School.

• See related article: Jury Indicts Alleged Livingston High School Threat Maker

According to the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office:

“[Coulouris] admitted to making two posts [in 2016] on Sept. 3 and 23, where he created two fictitious Facebook accounts and posted threats against Livingston High School… On Sept. 13, 2016, he made a post from a fake account in the name of his ex-girlfriend’s mother and threatened to kill everyone at Livingston High School. On the Sept. 23, 2016 he made a second fictitious account where he threatened to ‘murder everyone’ at Livingston High School.”

During his court appearance, Coulouris also admitted to “conspiring with unknown individuals as part of a so-called hacking collective to send a bomb to the house of an Essex County judge,” prosecutors said.

Prosecutors said that Coulouris also admitted to:

• “Impersonating his ex-girlfriend, her parents, and a Livingston police detective by making multiple posts online using their names”
• “Two counts of cyber harassment and invasion of privacy for posting his ex-girlfriend’s naked photo online”
• “One count of terroristic threats for offering money to kill his ex-girlfriend’s mother”

Under the terms of the plea agreement, Coulouris is expected to be sentenced to seven years in New Jersey State Prison. Sentencing is currently scheduled for April 6, prosecutors said.

The case was handled in Hudson County because of the threats made against the Essex County judge, prosecutors said.

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File Photo: Livingston Public Schools