A man accused of emailing a death threat to the Queer Straight Alliance at Montana State University and sending vulgar images and slurs to a fellow student pleaded guilty Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Missoula.

Rex Wu, 23, pleaded guilty in a plea agreement to felony cyberstalking with the intent to harass or intimidate. He admitted he caused or meant to cause “substantial emotional distress.”

The felony carries a maximum penalty of five years of imprisonment and a $250,000 fine.

In federal court in Missoula, U.S. Magistrate Judge Kathleen DeSoto told Wu she believed a jury of his peers would find him guilty given the evidence the government had collected against him.

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As part of the agreement, Wu will give up a number of electronic devices and pay restitution, with the amount to be determined at sentencing.

Sentencing is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. Thursday, November 6, at the Russell Smith Federal Courthouse in Missoula.

The court hearing helps bring to a close at least one part of a disturbing chapter at Montana’s largest public university.

In spring 2023, the Queer Straight Alliance reported email threats, but members of the club that supports LGBTQ+ students and others told the Board of Regents and the Daily Montanan they felt the administration fell short in responding to their safety concerns.

In October 2023, the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights informed MSU it was under investigation for discrimination for “failing to respond appropriately” to the threats and reports of harassment based on sex, race, color and national origin.

The Office for Civil Rights eventually opened six investigations into alleged abuses, and an MSU spokesperson confirmed Thursday the investigations remain open and pending.

MSU declined to comment on the court case.

The emails Wu pleaded guilty to sending spurred some, although not all, of the 20 reports of discrimination students sent to the Office for Civil Rights.

One of the emails sent to the QSA before a dance party in Bozeman and read aloud in court Wednesday said this in part: “If you do not call off your grooming party of young children tonight, we will send someone to the Rialto and send everyone present to an early death in hell.”

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Another one referred to the QSA’s “satanic ways” and said this: “True Montanans will not stop until we expel all the groomers and colored people from our campus and great state!”

In the federal court case, Wu also admitted to harassing an MSU student, Alexandra Lin, who brought attention on campus to the threats against QSA and other unrelated discrimination incidents.

Lin confirmed to the Daily Montanan that she is the victim identified as “Student 1” in court records.

One email to Lin, also read aloud in court, had a subject line “killing the ch–k.” Lin is part Taiwanese.

“Hi Ch–-k I have people watching your house day and night,” the email said. “One of these days you will get what’s coming to you. This isn’t Missoula in real Montana we kill g–ks like you.”

Wu also sent pornographic images and videos to Lin, according to court records.

On campus, however, Wu presented himself as aligned with Lin.

Wu helped Lin plan an “Anti-Hate Teach-In” at MSU, according to court records. Wu served as president of the Chinese Culture Club at MSU and testified about the increase of hate crimes on college campuses to the Montana Board of Regents.

He sent the threatening emails using an encrypted email service, ProtonMail, according to court records. An FBI investigation traced the accounts and IP addresses to Wu, who admitted in an interview to sending harassing emails.

In court, Wu stood in front of the judge with his lawyer as Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Weldon read the emails that were part of the evidence the government had gathered. Wu kept one hand over his forehead for much of the time Weldon read the messages.

He ignored a request for comment after the court hearing.

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Wu attended MSU until 2023, he said in court. As a condition of his release, Judge DeSoto said Wu would be generally restricted to the northern district of Illinois without explicit and advanced permission to travel.

The Queer Straight Alliance could not be reached for comment Thursday morning.

In a phone call after the hearing, Lin said she is pleased Wu pleaded guilty. However, she said it’s unfortunate that so few women who are stalked get to see the same result.

Starting this summer, a new president, Brock Tessman, is leading MSU, and Lin said she hopes the culture will change under him. She said MSU administrators and campus police failed to take her concerns seriously.

“You wonder how many people have these experiences and didn’t get help because it didn’t align with the university’s public image,” Lin said.

Former MSU President Waded Cruzado retired in June after 15 years leading the flagship. She earned accolades for significant increases in enrollment and research spending, but criticism from some students and faculty for a controlling leadership style and failing to address safety concerns on campus.

An MSU spokesperson declined to comment on the work of its campus law enforcement.

At the time the emails were sent to the QSA, MSU maintained it investigated the messages and found they did not represent actual danger to students.

Lin said the most disturbing outcome remains the trauma of believing Wu was her friend, and later finding out he was not only the source of harassment, but he helped organize an event to support the people he victimized.

Even days after he signed his plea deal, Lin said, he was still sending her messages. She said she wonders when she meets new people if she can feel safe.

“More than anything, the most upsetting thing through this experience was the lasting emotional and mental impact of being stalked,” Lin said.

Lin also said the guilty plea is a “huge weight lifted off my shoulders.”

“I feel inspired to help out others going through this. I signed up to phone bank and volunteer at a crisis helpline for victims,” she said.