Who is Jeffrey Mindock? Arizona man arrested for threatening to execute rabbi in antisemitic email
TEMPE, ARIZONA: The Department of Justice announced that Jeffrey Mindock, 47, who is from Tempe, was arrested on Saturday, November 4, on a federal complaint and arrest warrant by the FBI after he reportedly threatened to execute a Scottsdale rabbi in an email.
According to the US Attorney's Office in Arizona, Mindock is accused of sending an email to a local rabbi on Friday, November 3, threatening to execute them and "every other JEW [sic]."
The complaint also alleges Mindock requested the rabbi to "try to convince" a Utah judge to "drop the charges against" him.
What did Jeffrey Mindock further state in his email?
According to federal officials, the email from Jeffrey Mindock further stated, "If you do not use your influence to right this wrong, I will execute you and every other JEW [sic] I can find tonight at midnight of your Sabbath."
It continued, "If you wish to communicate with me further, I will only meet in person," was signed "Shalom, Viktor Sitkevicz." The sender also mentioned a Tempe address which also appeared in motor vehicle records, as per the federal complaint.
Mindock is additionally accused in the complaint of having a history of threatening behavior.
What did federal officials say about Jeffrey Mindock?
The federal lawsuit states Jeffrey Mindock previously threatened to "hang" a judge in an earlier email from accounts containing the words "sitkevicz" or "mindock." During a 2021 court appearance, he had made a threat regarding executing others.
US Attorney Gary Restaino stated, "We have no tolerance for those who send threatening communications to Jewish faith leaders or to any other people in America. We will continue to exercise our prosecutorial discretion and deploy our resources to charge threats cases here in Arizona."
Chad Alvarado, the acting special agent in charge of the FBI’s Phoenix field office has said, "The FBI takes all threats of violence seriously," to FOX, adding, "The FBI and our law enforcement partners must take people who make threats at their word and intervene, because protecting human life is our absolute priority."
Prosecutors now have 30 days to seek an indictment against Mindock.