Sarasota Man Pleads Guilty To Leaving Threatening Voicemail Targeted At Jewish Organization In New York

Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that Deep Alpesh Kumar Patel (21, Sarasota) today pleaded guilty to transmitting an interstate threat to injure. Patel faces a maximum penalty of five years in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set.

According to the plea agreement, on October 21, 2023, Patel left a threatening voicemail at a Jewish organization in New York City in which he identified himself by name, screamed numerous 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 had left another expletive-laden voicemail threatening to close it down.

Patel agreed to a special finding 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.

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