Crime & Safety

Sarasota Man Threatened To ‘Hunt’ Jewish People: U.S. Dept. Of Justice

A Sarasota man was indicted on federal charges over threats against Jewish people, the U.S. Department of Justice said.

SARASOTA, FL — A 45-year-old Sarasota man has been federally indicted after posting Instagram videos threatening to “hunt” Jewish people while displaying firearms, according to a news release from the U.S. Department of Justice.

Duncan Fraser MacDonald was charged with transmitting threats to injure another person in interstate or foreign commerce, federal prosecutors said.

According to the indictment and an earlier criminal complaint, MacDonald posted the videos Sept. 16 and 17, threatening to “hunt” Jewish people and “take them out because the Austrian painter was correct,” the news release said.

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MacDonald was arrested in Arizona on Sept. 18 under a federal warrant. He made his initial appearance in federal court in Jacksonville on Oct. 16.

If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of five years in federal prison.

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The FBI, Clay County Sheriff’s Office and Florida Department of Law Enforcement investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney David B. Mesrobian is prosecuting it.

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