Former DuPage County prosecutor accused of threatening state reps on social media

A former DuPage County prosecutor was arrested and charged with threatening two Illinois state representatives in a social media post earlier this year, federal prosecutors announced.

Authorities also connected Samuel J. Cundari with another social media post imagining someone leaving a bomb at an LGBTQ event in the state capitol. Cundari, 30, of DuPage County, has been charged with transmitting in interstate commerce a threat to injure another person.

He was serving as an assistant state’s attorney when the threats were made, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of Illinois. It was unclear exactly when Cundari left the state’s attorney’s office.

A criminal complaint filed Friday alleges that Illinois state police were contacted by the two representatives on March 17 about a threatening message posted on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. Five other accounts were tagged, including the Illinois attorney general, leading FBI Springfield to launch an investigation, officials said.

“Our patience grows short with you,” the post read. “The day we put your kids’ feet first into a woodchipper so we can enjoy their last few screams is coming.” The complaint does not name the legislators.

The FBI’s National Threat Operation Center also received a tip May 15 about a post on X in response to an advertisement for Springfield PrideFest.

“I sure hope NOBODY leaves a pressure cooker filled with bail bearings, glass, and nails, filled with diesel fuel and fertilizer, with the over pressure safety valve disabled, near a natural gas line line [sic],” the post read. “That would be VERY sad and VERY unfortunate.”

Law enforcement traced both social media posts to Cundari, officials said. If convicted, Cundari faces a maximum of five years in prison, up to three years of supervised release and a possible fine of up to $250,000.

The federal charges come just two years since Cundari was first admitted to the Illinois Bar in May 2022.