Justice Department Seeks Restrictions on Man Convicted of Sorority Shooting Plot

The motion states the Justice Department has "serious safety concerns" and asks that the man be required to live more than two miles from any Ohio college or university, with his residence pre-approved by the probation office. It also seeks a ban on entering college grounds without prior approval and the installation of monitoring software on his electronic devices.

The man, from Hillsboro, Ohio, was arrested in July 2021 after his mother reported threats and was later convicted of attempting to commit a hate crime. Court records show he wrote a manifesto titled "A Hideous Symphony" detailing plans to attack women at an Ohio university, purchased a bulletproof vest, skull mask, and ammunition, but was stopped before carrying out the plot.

He pleaded guilty in 2022, received a six-year prison sentence, and began five years of supervised release. Before moving to his current apartment near the Ohio State campus in mid-May, he lived in a halfway house from August to April with no reported violations.

Defense In a May 30 filing, the man's public defenders called the requested residency restrictions "unfounded" and said they would destabilize him physically, financially, and psychologically. They agreed to computer monitoring and a prohibition on contact with a former cellmate serving time for making ghost guns.

The lawyers noted the man helped the former cellmate shed antisemitic views and argued the proposed restrictions exceed those applied to registered sex offenders. A judge has not yet ruled on the motion.