A Sarasota man was sentenced to six months in federal prison after he left a voicemail with threats toward a Jewish organization in New York and Florida. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Tampa, U.S. District Chief Judge Timothy Corrigan sentenced Deep Alpesh Kumar Patel of Sarasota was sentenced to six months for transmitting an interstate threat to injure. Patel pleaded guilty on December 15, 2023.

According to the plea agreement, on October 21, 2023, Patel left a threatening voicemail at a Jewish organization in New York City identifying himself by name and screaming, among other expletives:

“If I had a chance, I would kill every single one of you Israelis. Every single one of you! Cause mass genocide of every single Israeli.” Patel also admitted that he had called a synagogue in Temple Terrace, Florida the same day, and left a voicemail threatening voicemail laced with expletives. As part of a hate crimes penalty enhancement, Patel agreed that he intentionally selected Jewish and/or Israeli individuals as the objects of his threat based on their actual or perceived race, religion, national origin, or ethnicity. 

“No one should live under the threat of violence or intimidation because of their religion, race, ethnicity or beliefs,” stated U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Florida Roger Handberg. “We will continue working with our law enforcement partners at every level to investigate and prosecute those who threaten harm to any citizen as we stand united against hate.”

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Joint Terrorism Task Force, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, and the Sarasota Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Risha Asokan.