U.S. Department
of Justice
Press Release
Amarillo Man Sentenced for Threating Prominent New York Rabbis
For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, Northern District of Texas
An Amarillo man was sentenced Thursday to two years in federal prison for threatening to execute three prominent Jewish rabbis, announced U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Leigha Simonton.
Christopher Stephen Brown was charged via criminal complaint on Dec. 6, 2021 and indicted later that month. He plead guilty in September 2022 to making interstate threatening communications and was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Matthew J. Kacsmaryk.
“Mr. Brown expressed vile anti-Semitism and threatened to commit despicable, violent acts against specific Jewish authorities. We will never stop protecting the Jewish community and other religious groups from such disturbing, hateful conduct. We hope the sentence handed down today serves as reassurance of that to the victims, their loved ones, and the greater Jewish community”
“Making threatening statements intended to instill fear and cause potential physical harm is a serious criminal action with consequences. Our hope is that today’s sentence brings some relief to the affected private citizens, law enforcement and members of the Jewish community at large. This behavior will not be tolerated, and we will continue working with our law enforcement partners to pursue individuals who espouse violent, antisemitic beliefs and pose a threat to public safety, holding them accountable to the fullest extent of the law.”
According to plea papers, Mr. Brown admitted to placing threatening calls to Chabad Lubavitch, a Jewish organization that has provided spiritual guidance and assistance to Jewish people since before the Holocaust. Chabad is headquartered in New York City and maintains more than 3,500 institutions worldwide.
In those calls, the defendant sated his name was “Madrikh Obadiah” and threatened to “execute” several rabbinical leaders, identified in court documents as L.S., Y.K., and M.K. Over the course of multiple calls, he vowed he would tear their eyes and tongues out, blow their heads of, and kill every rabbi he could find.
According to court documents, he also sent messages to the organization via their website, calling for death to all Jews and linking to his YouTube channel, which also contained threatening content.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Dallas Field Office, Amarillo Resident Agency and the Randall County Sheriff’s Office conducted the investigation in partnership with the FBI’s New York Field Office and the New York Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua Frausto prosecuted the case.
Contact
Erin Dooley
Press Officer
214-659-8707
erin.dooley@usdoj.gov
Updated January 20, 2023
Topic
Violent Crime
