The Ithaca man who wrote the word "bomb" on a brown cardboard Nike box and placed it on the Commons last October pleaded guilty this week to placing a false bomb or hazardous substance.
Matthew Whitney faces a maximum of 4 years in prison. Whitney told investigators he placed a book inside the box and wrote "Bomb" on the box as a way to promote his quote, free energy cause.
The package was found outside the Bank of America building on the Commons around 3 p.m. October 11th. The area, including several downtown businesses, were forced to close for several hours while police investigated.
Whitney will be sentenced in March.
