FBI arrests man accused of making threats against local Jewish Federation

CHARLOTTE — A man has been arrested by the FBI after threats were made through emails to the Jewish Federation of Greater Charlotte.

The FBI determined the threats weren’t credible, the federation said.

In a statement, the Jewish Federation said the incident is being investigated by the FBI as a federal hate crime. Federal court documents confirm the suspect’s name is Jeffrey Scott Hobgood and he was arrested on a warrant out of Winston-Salem. He is from the town of Troy.

Hobgood is accused of sending two racist and antisemitic emails that threatened to “annihilate” Jewish people and called for their “public execution.” One was sent on Oct. 11 and the other on Oct. 13.

According to the court documents, Hobgood initially admitted to investigators that he sent an email to a Jewish center in Charlotte, “but advised officers that the content of the email was ‘none of their business.’”

Authorities later arrested him after the Jewish Federation received the second email.

The federation thanked law enforcement and Shalom Park security for handling the situation. They said the threat didn’t rise to the level of needing to immediately notify the public and community, but that is something law enforcement would have been prepared to do.

“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,” the statement reads. “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.”

The federation said they are standing with their community in support of family and friends during the rising tensions in Israel. They called it “disturbing” that people “...strive to take advantage of this conflict and create more fear through cyber financial scams and threats.”

The federation reassured the public it is continuing to investigate scams and threats to keep its community safe.

Earlier threats

According to the court documents, Hobgood was also accused of threatening his sister and the FBI back in September 2022. He allegedly used an email to threaten to hang his sister’s husband.

In addition, court documents say she reported back in June 2022 that her brother had sent her multiple threatening emails saying he would see her and her husband in Hell.

Hobgood is currently being held in the Forsyth County jail under no bond. If convicted, he faces a maximum of 5 years in prison, a fine not to exceed $250,000, or both, the state Department of Justice said.

Former FBI agent Chris Swecker said in cases like this, more charges are sometimes added later.

“This is what we call a placeholder complaint,” Swecker told Channel 9′s Evan Donovan. “They’ll go to a grand jury and they’ll indict for much broader charges here. It’s likely they’ll include hate crime charges when the grand jury meets on this.”

The Jewish Federation of Greater Charlotte said it “is grateful for the support and rapid response of our law enforcement officials and for the seriousness with which they take our community’s safety.”

Donovan also spoke with one of Hobgood’s family members, who said they “hope he can get the mental health treatment he needs,” adding that he cut all ties with them a few years ago.

“No one in America should be threatened based on their race, nationality, religion, gender, or other protected characteristics,” United States Attorney Sandra J. Hairston said in a statement. “Individuals who target other community members will be held accountable for their actions.”

Hobgood is scheduled for a detention hearing and preliminary examination on Oct. 24.

Read the full statement from the Jewish Federation of Greater Charlotte below:

Dear JCC Community,

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.

Sincerely,

Annie Keith

Levine JCC CEO

Lisa Strause Levinson

Levine JCC Board President

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