Oregon man faces federal charges for making hoax bomb threats targeting Jewish hospitals and care centers across New York
Federal officials said the man's alleged swatting calls had the effect of "needlessly endangering patients and staff by creating chaos and alarm."
By Jeff Winter, CNN
(CNN) — An Oregon man who is accused of targeting several Jewish hospitals and care centers in New York City and Long Island with fake bomb threats was arrested on federal charges Tuesday, according to prosecutors.
Domagoj Patkovic, 31, of Portland, Oregon, is charged with multiple counts of conspiring to make and making threats concerning explosives, conspiring to transmit and transmitting threatening communications, and conveying false information concerning explosives, according to an indictment filed by prosecutors with the Eastern District of New York.
Patkovic allegedly made at least six violent and threatening phone calls to Jewish hospitals and a care center network between May and September of 2021. On these calls, Patkovic said he had planted bombs at these facilities and threatened to detonate them in Manhattan, Queens, Brooklyn and Long Island, while also using anti-Semitic slurs, according to the indictment.
He allegedly livestreamed the threatening calls to others on servers on the online social media and messaging service Discord, according to court documents.
“As alleged, the defendant and his coconspirators, motivated by their hatred of Jewish people, targeted Jewish hospitals and care centers in New York City and on Long Island with hoax bomb threats, needlessly endangering patients and staff by creating chaos and alarm,” US Attorney for the Eastern District of New York Breon Peace said in a statement. “Our highest priority is ensuring all members of our community are protected and we will use all resources possible to prosecute dangerous bomb threats and swatting schemes to the fullest extent of the law.”
Local police responded to several of Patkovic’s alleged swatting threats and performed bomb sweeps of buildings, according to a statement. One call in September caused police to partially evacuate and lock down an entire Long Island hospital, the statement said. No explosives were ever recovered.
CNN has reached out to Patkovic’s defense attorney for comment.
“These alleged actions incited unnecessary hysteria and redirected limited resources to mitigate a false alarm,” said Christie Curtis, the FBI’s New York acting assistant director in charge, in a statement. “The FBI will not tolerate those who utilize hoax bomb threat schemes to satisfy their anti-Semitic beliefs and endanger the wellbeing of our communities.”
Patkovic will appear in US District Court of Oregon on Tuesday afternoon, where prosecutors will ask Magistrate Judge Youlee Yim Yu to detain Patkovic pending trial, according to court documents. If detained, Patkovic will then be transported by US Marshal Service to Brooklyn, where he will be arraigned in federal court, according to a spokesperson.
Patkovic faces up to 155 years in prison if convicted.
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