A California woman has been sentenced to 32 months in prison for making anti-Semitic phone threats to the former Executive Director of Pittsburgh’s Tree of Life Synagogue.
MIAMI – Melanie Harris, 59 of Riverside, California, was sentenced yesterday to 32 months in prison, to be followed by 3 years of supervised release, after previously pleading guilty to knowingly and intentionally transmitting a threatening communication in interstate commerce. Harris was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Roy K. Altman during a hearing in Miami, Florida.
“Defendant Melanie Harris’s anti-Semitic threats terrorized a Jewish family,” stated U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida. “Her hate-filled telephone calls and voicemails were abhorrent. No one should live in fear of threats, harassment, and hate-fueled violence. There is simply no place in our society for anyone who threatens Jews or anyone else in our diverse South Florida community. The U.S. Attorney’s Office, along with our FBI partners, will continue to aggressively investigate and prosecute those that threaten our safety and security, while seeking justice for the victims impacted by these vile crimes.”
According to the facts admitted at the change of plea, on Oct. 3, 2022, Harris made multiple calls to Victim 1’s cell phone, and left four separate threatening voicemails, with the intent to communicate a true threat and with the knowledge that the communications would be seen as true threats. In one of these four October 3 voicemails, Harris stated in relevant part: “I’ll cut your f—— head off kiker.” The term “kike” has long been used as an anti-Semitic slur aimed at Jews.
Harris’ four-year onslaught of harassment and threats of the victims was compounded by the fact that until July 2018, Victim 1 had been the Executive Director of the Tree of Life for over 20 years, while his wife, Victim 2, and her adult child, Victim 3, were all long-time members of, and closely associated with, the Tree of Life.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office and the FBI have made it clear that they will continue to aggressively investigate and prosecute those who make threats against Jewish communities or any other community. Harris’ sentence is a stark reminder that hate crimes will not be tolerated and that those who commit them will be held accountable.
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Key Facts
- State: Florida
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Violent Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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