CHARLOTTE (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — The FBI has arrested a Troy man after he communicated threats towards a Charlotte Jewish organization, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of North Carolina.
Court documents state that, on or about Oct. 11, Jeffrey Scott Hobgood sent an email to an address associated with a Charlotte area Jewish organization stating, in part, “I am going to take out every one of you.”
Records show that on Oct. 13, after being contacted by law enforcement, Hobgood sent a second email to the same address saying, in part, “Guess what happens to traitors?…Public execution…We are at war…If you think you semite pieces of s[***] are going to win, then you are delusional.”
Court documents further allege that in June 2022, Hobgood sent multiple threatening emails to a family member, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.
Hobgood is charged with a violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 875(c), transmitting in interstate commerce a communication containing a threat to injure the person of another.
If convicted, he faces a maximum of five years in prison, a maximum fine of $250,000, or both.
Statement released from Sandra and Leon Levine Jewish Community Center:
“As our community continues to stand together to support our family and friends during the rising tensions in the homeland of Israel, equally disturbing are those who strive to take advantage of this conflict and create more fear through cyber financial scams and threats. At Shalom Park, all cyber threats of any kind are approached with the same high level of security scrutiny that includes a process of reporting and evaluation in partnership with local, state, and national law enforcement.
It is with this background that I wanted to make you aware of a cyber threat received in a generic Jewish Federation of Greater Charlotte email-mailbox. After immediate identification by the Federation, Shalom Park Security informed their law enforcement partners Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department’s (CMPD) intelligence bureau and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) who responded quickly. The FBI evaluated this specific cyber threat and determined it to be non-credible and non-imminent. However, as a response to curb cyber threats, the FBI further elevated the incident to a federal hate crime. They also arrested and intend to prosecute the perpetrator.
The quick response by our Foundation of Shalom Park Security team and our law enforcement partners is a representation of the strong and effective security apparatus that manages security-related incidents and situations every day. They also make real-time determinations to identify if and when to publicly notify our community. The email in question did not rise to the level that would necessitate such immediate notification.
We realize that community members put their trust in our organizations every day, and it remains our top priority to keep our members and staff safe. It is for this reason that we wanted to highlight this incident as a representation of some of the Shalom Park Security processes and relationships that contribute to a safe environment every day.
Even though these cybers threats do not pose a physical threat, the rising level of cyber activity throughout the U.S. has provided the FBI’s judicial arm the ability to take strong action resulting in federal prosecutions. As the Israel-Hamas war continues, we will continue to hear about cyber financial scams and cyber threats; and hopefully, more federal prosecutions. But be confident that Shalom Park Security and its law enforcement partners are addressing each cyber incident and are implementing all appropriate security measures to ensure that no harm comes to the Shalom Park and JCC community.
We continue to be grateful for our Foundation for Shalom Park Security team and their law enforcement partners who support us every day.“
