{"id":2580633,"date":"2026-03-17T04:56:02","date_gmt":"2026-03-17T08:56:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/man-sentenced-to-over-three-years-in-prison-for-sending-threatening-letters-to-jewish-institutions\/"},"modified":"2026-03-17T04:58:01","modified_gmt":"2026-03-17T08:58:01","slug":"man-sentenced-to-over-three-years-in-prison-for-sending-threatening-letters-to-jewish-institutions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/man-sentenced-to-over-three-years-in-prison-for-sending-threatening-letters-to-jewish-institutions\/","title":{"rendered":"Man sentenced to over three years in prison for sending threatening letters to Jewish institutions"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">30<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fman-sentenced-to-over-three-years-in-prison-for-sending-threatening-letters-to-jewish-institutions%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2580633&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>A Maryland man, Clift Seferlis, was sentenced to 37 months in federal prison for mailing more than 40 threatening letters and two postcards to Jewish institutions, including synagogues, museums, community centers, schools, and a Philadelphia Jewish history museum. He acted in response to the Gaza war, sending letters to over 25 Jewish organizations across multiple jurisdictions, in which he threatened violence and claimed he would destroy buildings and injure people. Seferlis pleaded guilty in November 2025 to 17 counts of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/bondi-announces-arrest-of-far-left-activist-who-threatened-benny-johnson\/\" title=\"Bondi announces arrest of far-left activist who threatened Benny Johnson\">mailing threatening communications<\/a> and eight counts of obstructing the free exercise of religious beliefs; the letters were sent between March 2024 and at least June 2025. One target was the Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish history in Philadelphia, which, along with the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia, described the impact on staff and the broader community. During sentencing, Seferlis apologized, attributing his actions to anger over the Palestinians\u2019 plight, while U.S. prosecutors and <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >law enforcement emphasized<\/a> that religious-based threats will be met with federal accountability.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Man sentenced to over three years in prison for sending threatening letters to Jewish institutions<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_2534214\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>A man, allegedly enraged over the suffering of Palestinians in <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/gaza\/\">Gaza<\/a>, was sentenced to over three years in prison on Monday after sending more than 40 letters threatening violence to <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/jewish\/\">Jewish<\/a> museums, organizations, and even a Jewish deli.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Clift Seferlis will serve 37 months in federal prison for sending over 40 threatening letters and two postcards to &ldquo;more than 25 Jewish institutions and organizations, including synagogues, Jewish museums, community centers, schools, nonprofit organizations, and a Jewish delicatessen, located in multiple jurisdictions. In many of Seferlis&rsquo;s letters, he threatened acts of violence against Jewish people, saying he would destroy buildings and injure people, <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.justice.gov\/usao-edpa\/pr\/maryland-man-sentenced-over-three-years-prison-mailing-threatening-communications\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">according<\/a> to the Department of Justice.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div class=\"recommended-stories\">\n<h2>Recommended Stories<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/world\/4493193\/viktor-orban-uphill-battle-hold-leadership\/\">Viktor Orban faces uphill battle to hold leadership as opposition hits him on Russia ties and accusations of corruption<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/defense\/4493309\/iran-war-where-things-stand-third-week\/\">Where things stand with Iran war in its third week<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/4493813\/joy-reid-claims-us-is-only-marginally-better-than-iran\/\">Joy Reid claims US is only &lsquo;marginally better&rsquo; than Iran<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>&ldquo;This was pure hatred, pure <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/antisemitism\/\">antisemitism<\/a>,&rdquo; said Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.inquirer.com\/crime\/clift-seferlis-antisemitic-letters-jewish-institutions-prison-20260316.html\">Dubnoff<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>In Nov. 2025, Seferlis pleaded guilty to &ldquo;17 counts of mailing threatening communications and eight counts of obstructing the free exercise of religious beliefs,&rdquo; NBC10 Philadelphia <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcphiladelphia.com\/news\/local\/man-charged-making-threats-against-philly-jewish-organization\/4212730\/\">reported<\/a>. The letters were mailed between March 2024 and (at least) June 2025, court documents revealed. Seferlis is from Kensington, Maryland, and appeared to write the letters as a response to the war in Gaza, according to reports. <\/p>\n<p>One recipient of Seferlis&rsquo;s letters was the Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History in <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/philadelphia\/\">Philadelphia<\/a>, Pennsylvania.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Between April 2024 and June 2025, Mr. Seferlis sent threatening letters to members of The Weitzman&rsquo;s staff in an attempt to intimidate a Jewish institution and the people who work there,&rdquo; <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcphiladelphia.com\/news\/local\/man-sentenced-threatening-philly-area-jewish-institutions\/4369371\/\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">read<\/a> a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/update-letter-by-ted-cruz-and-6-gop-senators-and-4-senators-elect-sign-letter-to-reject-election-call-for-election-commission-10-day-emergency-audit-takes-place\/\" title=\"UPDATE: Letter by Ted Cruz and 6 GOP Senators and 4 Senators-Elect Sign Letter to Reject Election \u2013 Call For Election Commission 10-Day Emergency Audit Takes Place\">joint statement released<\/a> by the museum and the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia. &ldquo;Investigators say he also targeted Jewish institutions in Washington, D.C., and other communities through a broader campaign of threats.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;It is critically important that those who seek to intimidate Jewish institutions are identified and held accountable,&rdquo; read the statement. &ldquo;We thank the FBI, the Secure Community Network, and other partners for their coordinated work. Together, we remain committed to ensuring that Jewish institutions nationwide and in Greater Philadelphia continue to be welcoming, vibrant places where people can gather safely and proudly.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>During his sentencing hearing at a Philadelphia courthouse, Seferlis apologized for writing the threatening letters, blaming the actions on his personal outrage over the plight of Palestinians in Gaza, the <em>Philadelphia Inquirer<\/em> <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.inquirer.com\/crime\/clift-seferlis-antisemitic-letters-jewish-institutions-prison-20260316.html\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">reported<\/a>. He claimed he was not a violent person and had no intention of following through, but understood his threats had consequences and acknowledged that his letters &ldquo;dragged innocent people into my darkness.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;My words are the worst of my venom, and they are awful and inflicted pain,&rdquo; <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.inquirer.com\/crime\/clift-seferlis-antisemitic-letters-jewish-institutions-prison-20260316.html\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">said<\/a> Seferlis. &ldquo;And if there was any way I could take it back, I would.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;For more than a year, the defendant terrorized Jewish communities across the country, robbing his victims of their peace and security,&rdquo; <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.justice.gov\/opa\/pr\/maryland-man-sentenced-mailing-threatening-communications-jewish-institutions-and-civil\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">said<\/a> Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon. &ldquo;The defendant&rsquo;s sentence should be a warning to all that religious-based terror will not be tolerated in this country.&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/world\/4491652\/iran-finance-death-blow-war\/\"><strong>IRAN FACES FINANCIAL DEATH BLOW BECAUSE OF WAR<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The threatening communications were intended to intimidate recipients and interfere with congregants and others in the enjoyment of their free exercise of religious beliefs,&rdquo; read a press release <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.justice.gov\/usao-edpa\/pr\/maryland-man-sentenced-over-three-years-prison-mailing-threatening-communications\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">issued<\/a> by the U.S. Attorney&rsquo;s Office in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Threats directed at religious institutions are attacks not just on those communities but on the freedoms guaranteed to all Americans,&rdquo; <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.justice.gov\/usao-edpa\/pr\/maryland-man-sentenced-over-three-years-prison-mailing-threatening-communications\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">said<\/a> U.S. Attorney David Metcalf. &ldquo;Individuals who attempt to intimidate or terrorize others because of their faith will face the full force of federal law.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;No one should have to live in fear because of who they are or what they believe,&rdquo; said Wayne A. Jacobs, special agent in charge of the FBI&rsquo;s Philadelphia Field Office. &ldquo;The FBI and our partners remain steadfast in our commitment to protecting every member of our community and holding those who seek to intimidate or harm others fully accountable.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Man gets 37 months for threats to Jewish institutions<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2677,"featured_media":2580634,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/AP26036454910491-e1770304104627.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[7053,50403,75941,12447,4855],"class_list":["post-2580633","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-antisemitism","tag-crime-2","tag-hate-crime-2","tag-sentencing","tag-threats"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/AP26036454910491-e1770304104627.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2580633","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2677"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2580633"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2580633\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2580637,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2580633\/revisions\/2580637"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2580634"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2580633"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2580633"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2580633"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}