A Seward man is facing criminal charges accusing him of trying to frame another man for sending an email threatening to kill Gov. Mike Dunleavy earlier this year.
Matthew Stanley, 22, is charged with felony terroristic threatening and misdemeanor criminal impersonation.
Dunleavy’s office received a threat on April 12 through a website feedback form threatening to “bomb and shoot” the governor, according to a sworn affidavit written by Alaska State Troopers Sgt. Nathan Bucknall. The email listed a Seward man as the sender, the affidavit said.
Investigators tracked the IP address associated with the email and found it was sent using a service that allows users to remotely connect to a network, a method sometimes used to avoid detection, the affidavit said.
Troopers interviewed the man listed on the email and determined he did not send the message, according to the affidavit. The man told troopers Stanley could have been trying to frame him because he has disliked him for years and was recently fired from a job where they worked together, the affidavit said.
Investigators determined Stanley’s Google account connected to the remote network twice and also that he had conducted searches for how to make an anonymous email, whether false allegations were grounds for a lawsuit, and information about threats to governors, the affidavit said.
Charges were filed on July 1 and Stanley is expected to appear in court again next week.