GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — A 19-year-old from Northern Michigan pleaded guilty to making anti-Semitic threats over social media.
The FBI arrested 19-year-old Pickford resident Seann Pietila in June following a complaint saying he expressed anti-Semitic and neo-Nazi ideologies as well as an intent to commit mass shootings, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office – Western District of Michigan (DOJ).
Federal attorneys say he was subsequently charged with two counts of communicating threats and one count of threatening to kill or injure other people with fire.
We’re told Pietila admitting to sending Instagram messages describing the intent to target Jewish people in a mass shooting.
“No one should face violent threats because of their race, ethnicity, religion, or any other status,” says U.S. Attorney Mark Totten. “At this moment of increased threats across the nation, we renew our commitment to prevent, disrupt, and prosecute illegal acts of hate fueled by antisemitism, Islamophobia, or anti-Arab bias.”
Pietela faces a maximum sentenced of five years behind bars followed by three years of supervised release, as well as a $250,000 fine, according to the DOJ.
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