NC man pleads guilty after threatening to ‘take out’ Jewish people in Charlotte
A man accused of threatening to kill Jews in Charlotte days after the Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist attack has pleaded guilty to a federal charge that could land him in prison for up to five years.
FBI agents arrested Jeffrey Scott Hobgood in October after he’d emailed threats to the Jewish Federation of Greater Charlotte.
“Israeli jews of david star, I am going to take every one of you out,” Hobgood wrote in an Oct. 11 email, according to court records.
On Oct. 13, after law enforcement officers contacted him, Hobgood sent a second email to the same address saying, in part, “Guess what happens to traitors? ... Public execution ... we are at war ... If you think you ... are going to win, then you are delusional.”
Hobgood was arrested in his hometown of Troy, about 60 miles east of Charlotte. He pleaded guilty to one count of communicating threats. He could face a maximum fine of $250,000 in addition to a prison sentence of up to five years.
The FBI evaluated the email and determined it to be “non-credible and (a) non-imminent” threat, CEO Annie Keith and board president Lisa Strause Levinson of the Levine Jewish Community Center said in October.
In a statement released Friday, Jewish Federation of Greater Charlotte CEO Sue Worrell said: “Given the alarming rise in antisemitism since October 7, the news of this guilty plea is a step in the right direction in the pursuit of justice and safety.”
Leaders of the Levine Jewish Community Center in Charlotte said the emails were sent to the general email box of the Jewish Federation of Greater Charlotte.
In a statement issued in October, U.S. Attorney Sandra Hairston in Greensboro said: “No one in America should be threatened based on their race, nationality, religion, gender, or other protected characteristics. Individuals who target other community members will be held accountable for their actions.”
“Crimes driven by hate have no place in our state,” said Robert DeWitt, special agent in charge of the FBI in North Carolina.
Hobgood’s arrest came as violence escalated between Israel and Hamas in the Middle East.
