A Maryland man who despatched greater than 40 threatening letters to Jewish establishments, together with the Weitzman Nationwide Museum of American Jewish Historical past in Philadelphia, was sentenced to a few years in jail Monday.
Clift Seferlis, 55, of Garrett Park, Maryland, was sentenced to 37 months in jail and three years of supervised launch in addition to a $40,000 tremendous and a $2,200 particular evaluation on Monday.
He had beforehand pleaded responsible to 17 counts of mailing threatening communications and eight counts of obstructing the free train of non secular beliefs arising from threats to Jewish establishments, which have been despatched from March 2024 by means of at the very least June 2025.
“For greater than a 12 months, the defendant terrorized Jewish communities throughout the nation, robbing his victims of their peace and safety,” Assistant Legal professional Basic Harmeet Dhillon stated in a press release. “The defendant’s sentence ought to be a warning to all that religious-based terror won’t be tolerated on this nation.”
Throughout a sentencing listening to in Philadelphia’s federal courthouse, Seferlis, who informed FBI brokers that he had beforehand given excursions on the museum, expressed regret for the letters, which included threats to destroy buildings and hurt people over the battle in Gaza.
“My phrases are the worst of my venom, and they’re terrible and inflicted ache,” Seferlis stated. “And if there was any method I might take it again, I’d.”
In a joint assertion, the Weitzman Nationwide Museum of American Jewish Historical past and the Jewish Federation of Better Philadelphia expressed gratitude for the sentencing, writing, “It’s critically necessary that those that search to intimidate Jewish establishments are recognized, investigated and held accountable.”
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