Former Pitt Student Sentenced to 6 Years in Prison for Threatening Communications and Impeding and Obstructing FBI Investigation

PITTSBURGH – Khaled Miah, 29, a former resident of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and former student at the University of Pittsburgh, was sentenced yesterday by Judge W. Scott Hardy to 72 months’ imprisonment to be followed by three years of supervised release. Miah was found guilty by a federal jury in December, 2021 of five counts of making interstate threatening communications, one count of influencing, impeding or retaliating against a federal law enforcement officer, and one count of destruction of records in a federal investigation.

The federal jury found that from on or about Dec. 27, 2020, through on or about Dec. 31, 2020, Miah posted threats directed at individual FBI agents who were investigating him, as well as the FBI generally. In December 2020, FBI personnel identified a publicly visible Twitter account created by Miah. From the date of its creation to on or about Jan. 1, 2021, Miah used this Twitter account to threaten, intimidate and harass FBI Pittsburgh Special Agents and the FBI. In addition, after posting the threatening statements, and with full knowledge of the FBI investigation into his conduct, Miah subsequently deleted those posts which impeded, obstructed, and influenced the FBI investigation.

In imposing his sentence, Judge Hardy noted the seriousness of the offenses of conviction and stated that Miah “threatened the very people who sacrifice their lives and comfort to keep everyone in our community safe.” Judge Hardy also stressed deterrence, stating that “we live in a time where people are less able to control their impulses” and assuring that the law will impose very strict consequences on those who engage in threatening behavior online.

Members of the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force who were directly involved in this investigation include the FBI and the University of Pittsburgh Police Department.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jessica Lieber Smolar and Nicole Ann Stockey of the Western District of Pennsylvania and Department of Justice Trial Attorney Dmitriy Slavin.