An Oregon man was indicted for his alleged role in a scheme to make bomb threats against Jewish hospitals and care centers in New York City and Long Island, according to an unsealed indictment. Domagoj Patkovic, from Portland, Oregon, faces charges including making threats concerning explosives and transmitting threatening communications. Arrested earlier, Patkovic is to appear before U.S. Magistrate Judge Youlee Yim Yu in the U.S. District Court of Oregon.
U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, Breon Peace, stated, “As alleged, the defendant and his coconspirators, motivated by their hatred of Jewish people, targeted Jewish hospitals and care centers in New York City and on Long Island with hoax bomb threats, needlessly endangering patients and staff by creating chaos and alarm,” Patkovic is accused of being actively involved in the threats, making at least six separate calls himself. The FBI has expressed a firm stance against such crimes, with the Acting Assistant Director in Charge, Christie M. Curtis, condemning these actions to have incited unnecessary hysteria and redirected limited resources, as detailed by the U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of New York.
The indictment details a series of anonymous phone threats that Patkovic and his associates allegedly started at least as early as May 2021. The threats involved violent language and claims of having planted explosive devices at Jewish hospitals and care centers within the Eastern District of New York, among other locations across the United States. These actions led to local law enforcement conducting bomb sweeps and on one occasion, a hospital in Long Island had to be partly evacuated.
According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, no explosive devices were found but the disruption caused by these threats took a heavy toll on the communities and emergency services. The indictment promises to pursue these allegations to the full extent, with Patkovic potentially facing up to 155 years’ imprisonment if convicted. The prosecution is being handled by the Office’s National Security & Cybercrime Section, with Assistant United States Attorneys including Alexander A. Solomon and Laura Zuckerwise, along with other legal professionals working on the case.
