A Massachusetts woman, Catherine Leavy, has entered a guilty plea in Boston federal court for making a false bomb threat against Boston Children’s Hospital. The threat was called in during a period when the hospital was grappling with a barrage of harassment and threats related to its surgical program for transgender youths. Leavy’s guilty plea includes charges stemming from the false bomb threat, and her sentencing is scheduled for March.
The most serious charge Leavy pleaded guilty to carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. Her attorney, Forest O’Neill-Greenberg, has not immediately responded to requests for comment.
Authorities allege that the fake bomb threat was made in August 2022, at a time when Boston Children’s Hospital had launched the nation’s first pediatric and adolescent transgender health program. The hospital found itself under intense scrutiny and faced an onslaught of threats and harassment, particularly from far-right social media accounts, news outlets, and bloggers.
The controversy surrounding the hospital erupted after it published informational YouTube videos about surgical offerings for transgender patients. In response, the caller made a threatening call, stating, “There is a bomb on the way to the hospital, you better evacuate everybody you sickos.” This threat prompted a lockdown at the hospital, but no explosives were discovered.
Initially, Leavy denied responsibility for the threat during an interview with FBI agents. However, when presented with phone records indicating her number was linked to the threat, she admitted to making the call. Nevertheless, she claimed that she had no intention of actually bombing the hospital. According to prosecutors, she expressed disapproval of the hospital “on multiple occasions” during the interview.
Boston Children’s Hospital is one of several healthcare institutions providing medical care for transgender children that have become the target of threats and harassment. Medical associations reported last year that children’s hospitals across the country had significantly increased security measures, necessitating collaboration with law enforcement agencies. In some cases, healthcare providers had to maintain constant security to protect patients and staff.
Leavy’s guilty plea underscores the seriousness with which authorities view threats and harassment against institutions and healthcare providers that offer medical care to transgender individuals. Her sentencing in M
