Dr. Julio Pino, the Kent State University professor known for his controversial opinions and statements, has pleaded guilty to one count of making a false statement to law enforcement, the U.S. Attorney's Office announced Thursday.
The 57-year-old Pino had been under FBI investigation for having possible ties to the Islamic State terrorist group (ISIS). During the course of the investigation, Pino was asked about his communications with a St. Louis man known as "J.E." who had made threats against a Missouri judge.
Pino denied knowing J.E., but investigators later uncovered Facebook conversations between the two. According to authorities, J.E. expressed his intentions to "kill 100s of people if they take my rights away as a father," to which Pino replied, "Yes, in military terms this is known as a Parthian shot," encouraging J.E. to "devour them."
This is not the first time Pino, a tenured professor, has run into trouble with his statements, which included yelling “death to Israel” during a lecture by an Israeli diplomat in 2011. Kent State suspended Pino and barred him from setting foot on campus when the charges came out earlier this week, and on Thursday they announced they were "moving forward in accordance with personnel policies in terminating [his] employment."
Pino is scheduled to be sentenced on Aug. 23 at noon. A "qualified instructor" has taken over his classes to allow KSU students to finish out the semester.
Stamped Pino Information by WKYC.com on Scribd
