Stephen Cebula was wrapped up in the online adventures of “Heroes of the Storm” when he apparently decided to deliver a message to his foes.

And that’s how the 28-year-old Sacramento gamer found himself facing federal charges Thursday of threatening to visit Blizzard Entertainment’s headquarters with an AK-47, according to a 33-page federal indictment.

In one threat, U.S. District Court records show, he wrote: “Careful Blizzard … I live in California and your headquarters is here in California … You keep silencing me in Heroes of the Storm and I may or may not pay you a visit with an AK 47 amongst some other ‘fun’ tools.”

Cebula, who was arrested July 12, told investigators he sent threats to the Irvine-based company and other players through his Facebook account because he wanted “to scare” them, FBI Special Agent Brady Cowan wrote in a federal criminal complaint.


Cebula said he looked up the gaming company’s address online and mentioned it in one of his threats “to give them a sinking feeling that they should be worried,” Cowan said.

Prosecutor say Cebula also wrote: “You keep silencing people in heroes of the storm and someone who may live in California might be inclined to ‘cause a disturbance’ at your headquarters in California with an AK47 and a few other ‘opportunistic tools’ ... It would be a shame to [anger] the wrong person. Do you not agree blizzard?”

Cebula told federal investigators the term “opportunistic tools” was designed to “let their minds wander” and the reference to using an AK-47 was “because it seemed like the scariest weapon,” Cowan said.

If convicted, Cebula faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.


veronica.rocha@latimes.com

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