Indictment describes threats and vandalism at homes, businesses, Jewish Federation
Four more people have been charged with participating in a criminal intimidation campaign against University of Michigan officials, in what federal authorities described Friday as an attempt to force the school to cut financial ties to Israel.
The indictment comes nearly five months after eight pro-Palestinian activists were charged with conspiracy. The eight people charged in June have pleaded not guilty.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Detroit said two of the four newly charged defendants were arrested and were set to make their first court appearance Friday, while the other two were not in custody.
The indictment describes threats and vandalism at officials’ homes, some businesses and the Jewish Federation of Detroit.
Investigators have highlighted several incidents over the past few years, including fake bloody corpses that were placed in a university board member’s yard and the 2024 spray-painting of anti-Israel messages at the home of Santa Ono, who was the university’s president at the time.
“From Pharaoh to Hitler to Hamas, those who terrorize Jews have been the bad guys. As Americans, our job is to fight the bad guys,” U.S. Attorney Jerome Gorgon Jr. said.
Since the Israel-Hamas war began, pro-Palestinian protesters have demanded that the University of Michigan’s endowment stop investing in companies with ties to Israel.
The university has said it has less than 0.1% of its total endowment placed with funds that might include companies in Israel.
In 2024, a pro-Palestinian encampment on campus was cleared by police after a month. The university said it was a threat to public safety.