- Amid a wave of rising anti-Semitism, an Arizona man sent a threatening letter to a local rabbi
- The man, who authorities say had a history of threatening behavior, said he would execute the local faith leader and any other Jews he could find
- The middle-aged man was assigned a public defender on Monday – he has not yet taken a plea deal
A man in Arizona has been arrested and hit with federal charges after he allegedly threatened to execute a Scottsdale rabbi along with “any other JEW” he could find.
The Justice Department announced charges Monday against 50-year-old Jeffrey Mindock, a Tempe resident who allegedly sent an email to the rabbi last Friday morning urging him to persuade a Utah judge to accept the charges to fall against him.
“If you do not use your influence to right this wrong, I will execute you and every other JEW.” [sic] “I can find your Sabbath tonight at midnight,” he reportedly wrote.
“If you want to communicate with me further, I will only meet in person.”
Jeffrey Mindock, 50, was arrested over the weekend for sending threatening messages to a local rabbi saying he would kill him and any other Jews he could find
According to the criminal complaint, the subject line of the email read: “HITLER WAS RIGHT, RABBI.” The sender also referred to the ongoing bloody conflict in the Middle East.
“As I watched the atrocities in Palestine, I came to the realization that YOU are responsible for all the evil in this world,” the man wrote.
“Zionist Jews control everything, from the courts to the banks to the media. “We both know you’re in control.”
According to prosecutors, Mindock has a history of threatening behavior. They say he previously emailed a judge threatening to “hang” him.
At a court appearance in 2021, he said he would “execute” people, adding that he knew “how to make bombs.”
He also called Ted Kaczynski – the Unabomber – “his hero.”
Mindock was appointed a public defender during his first court appearance on Monday.
He has not yet entered a plea and is being held pending a detention hearing for which a date has not yet been set.
The Arizona Department of Justice is responsible for prosecuting Jeffrey Mindock, who has a history of threatening behavior
U.S. Attorney Gary Restaino condemned the cessation of threatening messages to Jewish religious leaders
U.S. Attorney Gary Restaino, whose office is prosecuting Mindock, said that “civic engagement and civil dialogue help hold us together as a nation.”
“We have zero tolerance for those who send threatening messages to Jewish faith leaders or others in America. “We will continue to exercise our prosecutorial discretion and deploy our resources to prosecute threat cases here in Arizona.”
The FBI investigated the hate with assistance from the Tempe Police Department and the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office.