Kent State history professor Julio Pino is being charged with lying to the FBI. The indictment stems from 2016 investigations involving potential ties to ISIS, according to U.S. Attorney’s Office Public Information Officer Michael Tobin.

The FBI charged Pino with “one count of making false statements to law enforcement,” Tobin wrote in an email.

Warner Mendenhall, Pino’s attorney, said his client will plead guilty and could face several years of prison time. He also said Pino negotiated with the FBI over the charges.

Authorities interviewed Pino concerning correspondences in 2015 with a Facebook friend identified as J.E. 

J.E. allegedly threatened over social media to “kill 100s of people” over a child custody case that took place between May 2015 and January 2016, according to court documents.

Julio Pino denied knowing J.E. or having talked with him, stating to investigators he “never heard of (J.E. or) maybe I heard of him through the news.”

Authorities arrested J.E. on Jan. 11, 2016, after making threats toward the judge involved in the case. That same day, J.E. posted on Facebook, “I f*****g love Julio Pino, even if he does eventually do something that most consider horrible, I’ll still love him because I know him in a deeper way than most of you even could.”

Eric Mansfield, executive director of media relations for Kent State, released a statement:

“Kent State University Professor Julio Pino has been suspended after charges were filed today in federal court. The university has also prohibited him from coming onto any Kent State campus. The university continues to cooperate with the Department of Justice on this matter, and all inquiries about this case should be directed to that office.”

KentWired reporters encountered Pino arriving at his Kent home late this afternoon. He declined to answer questions. 

“I’m not giving out any interviews at this time,” Pino said.

He is scheduled to appear before U.S. District Court Judge Patricia Gaughan Thursday at 9:30 a.m. for an arraignment and plea hearing.