A 20-year-old Cleveland man who told FBI agents he had plotted mass shootings at a mosque and a synagogue is now headed to prison for 15 years — not for those alleged plots, but on child pornography charges in a separate investigation. Anthony Wojciechowski pleaded guilty to all counts in his indictment before the sentence was handed down.
According to Cleveland.com, the child pornography matter was a separate investigation from the counterterrorism case. It resulted in charges of receipt and distribution of visual depictions of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct, transferring obscene material to a minor, and possession of child pornography. The outlet reports that the child pornography investigation found Wojciechowski had accessed videos and images through Instagram and TikTok.
The case traces back to August 2025, when FBI counterterrorism agents began investigating Wojciechowski after receiving a tip about a Telegram message concerning a violent extremist attack at a Cleveland mosque, the same outlet’s earlier reporting noted. That tip led agents to Wojciechowski, who told them he had planned a mass shooting at a Cleveland synagogue in 2025 and had written a two-page manifesto titled “The Ethnic Cleansing.”
No Charges Filed Over the Alleged Shooting Plots
Wojciechowski said he ultimately decided against the plan, and no charges were filed in connection with the alleged plots against either the mosque or the synagogue, the outlet’s January reporting stated. He also told agents he wanted to “kill several minority groups” and said that white supremacist beliefs drove that desire, per the same account.
The affidavit cited in that reporting also said Wojciechowski sent messages threatening violence against a former teacher and her newborn baby. Those details emerged as part of the broader investigation, even as the shooting-plot allegations themselves never resulted in criminal charges.
A Pattern Seen Elsewhere in Northeast Ohio
Wojciechowski’s case is not the only one in the region to involve alleged plans targeting houses of worship. In a Toledo-area case, Damon Joseph was arrested after taking possession of two AR-15 rifles from an undercover FBI agent, and a federal grand jury later indicted him on three counts, including attempting to commit a hate crime and possessing firearms in furtherance of a crime of violence, according to the Cleveland Jewish News. An FBI affidavit in that case said Joseph had identified two Toledo-area synagogues as targets and discussed weapons he believed could inflict mass casualties.
Separately, federal prosecutors said only timely intervention by law enforcement kept a Valley City man, Wyatt Brzoska, from finalizing and carrying out plans for a mass shooting at a Columbia Station mosque, according to News 5 Cleveland. Investigators told the station they found 10 guns and roughly 700 rounds of ammunition in Brzoska’s bedroom, along with knives, tactical vests, gloves and a mask. Prosecutors wrote that he had selected a target, conducted reconnaissance and assembled an arsenal of firearms for the planned attack.
In Wojciechowski’s case, the shooting-plot allegations were part of a counterterrorism investigation, while the child pornography charges that ultimately sent him to prison came from a separate federal investigation. He pleaded guilty to every count in that indictment, and a judge sentenced him to 15 years in prison.
