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Man arrested for making violent threats against Blizzard

Deep Terror Nami··37 votes·3,838 views
Man Arrested for Reportedly Making Violent Threats Against Blizzard

Just in case you are thinking of quitting League of Legends in a blaze of stupidity (or are just being an ass on a smurf and think nobody will hold you responsible), I would advise against making threats to harm players or Riot personnel. I have definitely seen this kind of behavior on the boards more than once, and would just like to share this article which shows what kind of repercussions you might face;

A California man has been arrested after reportedly making violent threats to injure employees at World of Warcraft and Overwatch developer Blizzard Entertainment.

A press release from the US Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of California today said a federal grand jury indicted the man, 28-year-old Stephen Cebula of Sacramento. He is charged with threats against Blizzard employees, officials said (via Kotaku). Blizzard is based on Irvine, California, which is around six hours by car from Sacramento.

"According to court documents, between July 2, 2016, and July 3, 2016, Cebula transmitted messages over the internet to Blizzard Entertainment, in which he stated that he 'may or may not pay [Blizzard] a visit with an AK47 amongst some other 'fun' tools,' and 'might be inclined to 'cause a disturbance' at [Blizzard's] headquarters in California with an AK47 and a few other 'opportunistic tools,'" the report said.

Celbula was arrested on July 12, according to the release, and is now in custody. He is set to be arraigned later this month, on July 26. The man was detained after an investigation run by the FBI.

Should he be convicted, Ceblua faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

GameSpot has contacted Blizzard for more details.

117 Comments

Only Play Darius21 votes

Damn Blizzard makes Riot look lenient. That guy is fucked for life now all because of some casual keystrokes on his computer.

Raw26 votes

[{quoted}](name=Jelly Mac,realm=NA,application-id=cIfEodbz,discussion-id=XJR9n8bY,comment-id=0002,timestamp=2016-07-24T02:45:49.938+0000)

Damn Blizzard makes Riot look lenient. That guy is fucked for life now all because of some casual keystrokes on his computer.

Doesn't matter, he's an adult and he should held accountable for what he says, online or off line. http://www.auplod.com/u/poldua8017b.png

Pale Pirate6 votes

IKR? Now the autopunish system in the game should also automatically sue people who heavily offend others on our behalf!

Wheatloaf23 votes

Man, anything to help pay for college.

Mister Support3 votes

Your name makes that comment all the more perfect

DeadAsAWhoreNail14 votes

signatures are so obnoxious

Hyrum Graff2 votes

{quoted}

signatures are so obnoxious

+1

I suppose this is what FEK's blacklist feature is for...

Only Play Darius1 votes

I imagine I'm probably on that lol

Hyrum Graff1 votes

Not at the moment. I actually hadn't blacklisted anyone until I wrote that comment. Raw and GaleWinUnleashed are the two whose signatures have been annoying me recently.

GaleWinUnleashed1 votes

I'm probably on quite a few blacklists because of that. It's not my intent to be disruptive, though; I just really really like how it turned out.

https://i.imgur.com/1HvNiEO.png?noredirect

Shyvauni3 votes

The fact that he was arrested after an FBI investigation into the reported threats means they had a lot to go on to feel that the threat was a credible threat. The Police and FBI Investigate every threat assuming it is a real threat and arrest if leads check out on it being credible. So no.. He got arrested for more than casual keystrokes. No one makes death threats casually I sure as hell don't.

Virgin Ray3 votes

I mean 250k fine? You could've bought a super high end gaming rig and like 225k riot points.

Only Play Darius3 votes

What's sad is that he has to pay 250k after not being able to work for 5 years and then without a good paying job because of his record. It's essentially a lifetime of crippling debt and poverty

Arakadia3 votes

Most people don't realize that.

Terozu1 votes

Most people don't realize that that's the point of these sorts of sentences...

Arakadia1 votes

To put you in debt?

Terozu1 votes

More or less, yeah, they put a "lenient" punishment on you, then straddle you with a debt, making you have to pay back for all the things you did, it's also basically how they pay for prison stuff as well. It's honestly pretty cruel...

CrazFight 13 votes

Finally someone getting punished for threats they make.

Deep Terror Nami5 votes

There was some angsty forum troll around (maybe still is) that was making some sort of suicidal threats on these boards and the police went to his house (or so he claimed). They might not make headlines or get sued often, but these things are actually taken very seriously.

Rico Nasty8 votes

Yet a rapist gets 6 months in jail. Love the American "justice" system everyone!

Kingnewgameplus6 votes

Dontcha know, threatening to do something is way worse than ACTUALLY doing something. That's how it works right?

Terozu1 votes

Rape Vs Planning to murder over 50 people? Yeah rape definitely wins that one.

Rico Nasty1 votes

Its a threat.. he did absolutely nothing.. and there was no plan lmao. He was spouting off on some online forum.

Terozu1 votes

He was emailing them directly before he was arrested...

Ram Ranch Cowboy6 votes

"Sorry my cat walked on my keyboard."

AMYS GRAVE1 votes

If you give him enough time even Shakespeare at a typewriter will write a monkey eventually.

Dammit fluffy get off my keyboard.

Terozu1 votes

Welp your cat almost had that right...

Serika Zero4 votes

it only works in NA because your law system is "perfect" ;)

Arakadia2 votes

Who said NA law is perfect? It's not like Europe is perfect either.

Serika Zero2 votes

a lot of Americans actually constantly take pride in the justice system from na sadly, is flawed as fuck

at least in europe you won't get arrested for cursing on a gaming company. Then again, wasn't it also in Na that a chick sued a hot coffee company for selling hot coffee and when she took the coffee from the vendor machine it was........... well........ hot, coz they were selling hot coffee. And then she won rofl

That's why is so funny haha

Melledoneus3 votes

Actually, the case you're thinking about might be Liebeck vs McDonald's. The lawsuit was based around McDonald's dangerously hot coffee at 180-190°F that could cause a third degree burn in seconds. Liebeck suffered third degree burns when her coffee spilled onto her lap, causing her to lose 20% of her body weight to the burns as well as having permanent disfigurement and being disabled for two years. The case revolved around the negligence of McDonald's to lower the temperature of their coffee after hundreds of similar cases were issued, on the grounds that the issue wasn't important enough to consider adjustment.

The jury concluded that comparative negligence found McDonald's 80% responsible, and the punitive damages were based on 1-2 days of McDonald's coffee revenue. They were lowered later.

That might be what you're referring to, being the most famous one to be ridiculed, but I could be wrong. Hell, America is very big on lawsuits because of how many there are.

Serika Zero1 votes

bets me, it was like 3 years or so when i've heard the story

still, the woman was stupid enough to hurt herself. If right now, I go and cut my leg by accident with a saw. I can't sue Saw movies or the people that made the device just because I fucked up.

You are responsible for your own actions. Like that bimbo. It doesn't matter how mutilated you end up, if its your fault. Take fucking responsibility for it. Then again, like proven by the LoL community as well. Its always easier to blame someone else :D

Melledoneus3 votes

You might want to read into cases before you judge. You might be surprised at what you find.

The main reason why Liebeck VS McDonald's was considered ridiculous was because some schmoop at the news place was like "hey, I'mma twist the facts and put 'woman wins 2.7 million dollars because she spilled her coffee.'" I mean, I felt so sorry for the woman because she died two years later partly from the stress of people ridiculing her on all types of media platforms. Hell, it's been almost 20 years and even cartoons like Futurama decided to chuck a rock at her. It's disgusting to see how ignorant people can be.

EUW, from what you imply, may have the most heavenly, fair, perfect legal system, but the juries here aren't stupid people (usually). Facts were presented and verdicts were based on those facts. If the case was "this woman spilled coffee on herself because she was stupid enough to spill it to begin with," that would most likely be an open-and-shut case denying that woman payment for damages because it was her fault. But if there was proven to be a faulty cup, overheated coffee, or something that was the company's fault, then it isn't our place to throw around insulting terms around like 'bimbo' to describe a victim of company error. Especially if that error leads to serious injury that also leads to life-changing deformity.

Arakadia2 votes

Spilling a coffee isn't the same as chopping your leg off. Spilling coffee is fine, it's an accident. How damn ridiculously hot it was is why she sued them.

Terozu1 votes

Dude you're Racist.

Serika Zero3 votes

I don't think the word means what you think it means rofl

Hemulus2 votes

...Sometimes I truly wish that the northern border and eastern coast states could just secede from the U.S. and join the British commonwealth.

Terozu1 votes

...You are just... You realize those were the original states to leave Britain and the states that hate Britain the most right?

Hemulus2 votes

Ahahahaha. We don't hate Britain at all. You are delusional if you think that we have any concern that Queen Elizabeth will send in red-coats to "tyrannize" us lowly yanks. Modern members of the commonwealth are entirely autonomous. The truth is that Cascadia, the Canadian border states, and New England have as much or more in common with Canada and other British commonwealth nations than to the southern half of the U.S. nowadays. The reason there isn't a movement to secede is because it would hurt our economy, create turmoil, and the dispute would hurt American prestige. Still, it's fun to fantasize about... Especially when we hear about race riots, bankrupt welfare systems, police violence, third-world-level literacy rates in certain schools, etc. bombarding our news. It makes a fair number of us ashamed to be American.

Terozu1 votes

You have no idea how stupid you sound do you? That area is the most patriotic and where The US originated, and Canda is not a common wealth nor is it british...

Hemulus3 votes

How stupid I sound... Coming from you? Ahahahahahhaha. Thank you for making my day, sir.

{quoted}

Canda is not a common wealth nor is it british...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commonwealth_of_Nations

Terozu1 votes

ITS PART OF THE COMMON WEALTH OF NATIONS it itself is not a common wealth are you retarded? AND the CWN isn't british, in fact britain seceded from them just recently.

Hemulus2 votes

Where did I say that Canada was itself a commonwealth? I said "Canada and other British commonwealth nations"... That specifies that Canada is itself a nation member of the commonwealth and not the entirety of a commonwealth (what reasonable person would even assume I was saying that?)... But go on, call me retarded if it helps boost your ego. I think your time would be better spent developing your reading comprehension than trolling the forums, but carry on as you please. I am not interested in spending my time trading insults, so please enjoy yourself. I must admit I wasn't expecting much from you when you made it clear that you think NA is a race.

Terozu1 votes

"Canada and other British commonwealth nations" Right there, you called it a british common wealth nation... you literally shoed urself saying it then asked were u said it... Or are you that bad at grammar?

Painted Celt1 votes

What point are you trying to make? Canada IS in the British commonwealth. The monarch of England even ceremonially grants the Canadian prime minister the power to rule on her behalf when he or she is sworn into office. I feel like you have been living under a rock. You probably just realized Canada wasn't part of the United States and now you're frantically searching google for an argument that doesn't make you look an ass.

Terozu1 votes

There is no such thing as the british common wealth, it's the common e=wealth of nations, britains not a part of it anymore, and btw wrong account

LOSINGISMYPRIDE1 votes

[{quoted}](name=Deep Terror Nami,realm=NA,application-id=cIfEodbz,discussion-id=XJR9n8bY,comment-id=,timestamp=2016-07-24T01:11:51.414+0000)

Just in case you are thinking of quitting League of Legends in a blaze of stupidity (or are just being an ass on a smurf and think nobody will hold you responsible), I would advise against making threats to harm players or Riot personnel. I have definitely seen this kind of behavior on the boards more than once, and would just like to share this article which shows what kind of repercussions you might face; A press release from the US Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of California today said a federal grand jury indicted the man, 28-year-old Stephen Cebula of Sacramento. He is charged with threats against Blizzard employees, officials said (via Kotaku). Blizzard is based on Irvine, California, which is around six hours by car from Sacramento. "According to court documents, between July 2, 2016, and July 3, 2016, Cebula transmitted messages over the internet to Blizzard Entertainment, in which he stated that he 'may or may not pay [Blizzard] a visit with an AK47 amongst some other 'fun' tools,' and 'might be inclined to 'cause a disturbance' at [Blizzard's] headquarters in California with an AK47 and a few other 'opportunistic tools,'" the report said. Celbula was arrested on July 12, according to the release, and is now in custody. He is set to be arraigned later this month, on July 26. The man was detained after an investigation run by the FBI. Should he be convicted, Ceblua faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. GameSpot has contacted Blizzard for more details.

you dont need to make threat since league dying slowly XD*[slayer-jinx-catface]*

Deep Terror Nami8 votes

The majority of games die quite quickly, so dying slow is a compliment XD https://i.gyazo.com/13280fe1b2f2f04b794b6d4683ae3219.png

Kürama1 votes

How about not dying at all, do we have that option?

Deep Terror Nami10 votes

The Wheel of Time turns, and games come and pass, leaving memories that become legend. Legends fade to myth, and even myth is long forgotten when the Age that gave it birth comes again.

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