A former employee at Wegmans supermarket’s Nassau Park Boulevard store was arrested on September 1 in connection with E-mailed threats to the company’s CEO, Danny Wegman, and his wife, Colleen.
Hans Ni, 30, of Trenton was charged with transmitting interstate death threats, according to U.S. Attorney William Hochul. According to the criminal complaint, the threats were sent from computers at the Plainsboro Public Library in July.
Court documents stated that Ni created a phony E-mail account, impersonating his supervisor at the store. Ni allegedly sent multiple messages to the Wegmans, accusing the CEO of being a “race traitor” for hiring too many black employees. He also reportedly added “I am going to murder you.”
According to court documents, Plainsboro Library’s security cameras captured Ni using computers on July 7, when he allegedly set up the E-mail account and sent a vulgar message to the Wegmans. Cameras captured him again on July 27, when he allegedly sent the death threats.
According to court documents, Ni admitted sending the messages when the FBI interviewed him at his Trenton home. He also reportedly admitted that he sent the messages because he was angry at the manager he impersonated and blamed her for the loss of his job.
Ni made an appearance in a Trenton court on September 2 and will be transferred to Rochester, New York, where Wegmans is headquartered. He faces five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
