A man is facing up to five years in prison after pleading guilty to threatening to execute three Chabad rabbis.
Christopher Stephen Brown of Amarillo, Texas, was charged via criminal complaint on Dec. 6, 2021 and indicted later that month. He plead guilty on Wednesday to making interstate threatening communications before U.S. Magistrate District Judge Lee Ann Reno in Amarillo.
According to plea papers, Brown admitted to placing threatening calls to Chabad Lubavitch, in which he said 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 off,” and “kill every rabbi” he could find.
According to court documents, he also sent messages to Chabad via their website, calling for “death to all Jews” and linking to his YouTube channel, which also contained threatening content.
Brown now faces up to 5 years in prison.
“In addition to expressing disgusting anti-Semitic views, Mr. Brown made specific threats of violence against multiple individuals, which is prohibited under federal law,” said U.S. Attorney Chad Meacham. “We will not allow our citizens to be subjected to this sort of menacing conduct.”
“Mr. Brown’s statements indicated he wanted to potentially commit violent acts against members of the Jewish community; this type of behavior is not tolerated by law enforcement. This action is a criminal violation and also instills fear in a community that has long been a target of hateful rhetoric and violence,” said FBI Dallas Special Agent in Charge Matthew DeSarno. “The FBI’s mission is to uphold the U.S. Constitution and to protect the American people. We will continue working with our law enforcement partners to pursue individuals who pose a threat to public safety.”
Source: (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)