Press Release

Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Jeremy Fistel was indicted by a grand jury on September 4 and arraigned today on charges of making a terroristic threat as a hate crime and related crimes for voicemail and written messages left for New York State Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani. The messages began in June 2025 and continued through July.

District Attorney Katz said: “As alleged, the defendant threatened an elected official by leaving a series of increasingly alarming anti-Muslim messages with the office of Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani. The defendant told the assemblyman to go back to Uganda before someone shoots him in the head, to keep an eye on his house and family, to watch his back every second until he leaves America, and that he and his relatives deserve to die. Let me be very clear – we take threats of violence against any office holder extremely seriously – and there is no room for hate or bigotry in our political discourse. The defendant has now been extradited to Queens to face the serious charges against him. I thank our law enforcement partners at the NYPD, FBI and US Marshals Service for their work on this case.”

Fistel, 44, of Plano, Texas, was arraigned today on a 22-count indictment charging him with four counts of making a terroristic threat as a hate crime, four counts of making a terroristic threat, seven counts of aggravated harassment in the second degree as a hate crime and seven counts of aggravated harassment in the second degree.

If convicted of the top charge, the defendant faces up to 15 years in prison. Queens Supreme Court Justice Michelle A. Johnson ordered Fistel to return to court November 19.

DA Katz said that, according to the charges and investigation, on June 11, at approximately 11:27 a.m., Fistel allegedly left a message on Mamdani’s office voicemail saying, in part, “Hey Zohran, you should go back to f*cking Uganda before someone shoots you in the f*cking head and gets rid of your whole f*cking family, too. You piece of sh*t Muslims don’t belong here.”

On June 18, at approximately 9:45 a.m., Fistel allegedly left a message saying that Mamdani was not welcome in New York, or in America and to “Go on and start your car. See what happens…yeah, keep an eye on your house and your family. Watch your f*cking back every f*cking second til you get the f*ck out of America.” The message also said, “And check your beeper, too, terrorist f*ck. Beep beep.”

On July 8, Fistel allegedly submitted a written message through the assembly member’s website, saying “I hope you get terminal cancer and die a painful death very soon. I’d love to see an IDF bullet go through your skull. Would be even better if you had to watch your wife and kids murdered in front you before they end your pathetic miserable life…I hope you all die painful sudden deaths. Do us all a favor and kill yourself.”

On July 23, at approximately 1:47 p.m., Fistel allegedly left a voicemail message saying Mamdani and his family deserved to die and that “F*cking terrorist piece of sh*t. All you and your Muslim f*ck loser friends and relatives and family and wife and kids deserve to die. You deserve to be six feet under the f*cking ground. I hope somebody does it quickly, somebody shoots you in the f*cking face…I hope you get raped and murdered as well.”

The assembly member’s staff first reported the messages to the police on June 18. Fistel allegedly blocked his call identification during the calls and investigators later determined that the messages came from the defendant’s cell phone. The message submitted through the website is connected to Fistel’s email account.

Fistel was arrested September 11 in Texas. He was extradited to Queens on September 17.

The investigation was conducted by Detective William Martinez of the New York City Police Department’s Hate Crimes Task Force.

Assistant District Attorneys Christina Mavrikis of the District Attorney’s Career Criminal Major Crimes Bureau and Timothy Regan, Deputy Bureau Chief, are prosecuting the case under the supervision of Assistant District Attorney Michael Whitney, Bureau Chief, and Roni C. Piplani, Deputy Chief, and under the overall supervision of Executive Assistant District Attorney for Major Crimes Shawn Clark.