A Michigan man was indicted by a grand jury for threatening to kill Jewish government officials, according to United States Attorney Dawn N. Ison.
The indictment alleges that the grand jury found that Jack Carpenter III, 41, of Tipton, intentionally targeted Jewish members of the Michigan government because of their religion.
“Hate and bias-related crimes poison our communities and make people afraid simply because of who they are or what they believe,” Ison said. “We will not tolerate such actions, and we will prosecute those who engage in them to the fullest extent of the law.”
According to documents, Carpenter had three handguns, a 12 gauge shotgun and two hunting rifles, one of which is a military-style weapon.
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The FBI said Carpenter made threats from Texas using a Twitter account. In a series of tweets, he said “within the next 48 hours I will be back in Michigan.” He also said, “I’m heading back to Michigan now threatening to carry out the punishment of death to anyone that is Jewish in the Michigan govt if they don’t leave, or confess, and now that kind of problem. Because I can Legally do that, right?”
His Twitter posts also indicated he posted a “Declaration of Sovereignty” which claimed a new country was formed in a 9-mile radius around his Tipton home.
The FBI got involved in the case and discovered Carpenter had an unserved Personal Protection Order from Feb. 9, 2023. He had been arrested in December 2022 for assault. A Michigan State Police trooper from the Brighton post said Carpenter was under investigation for the theft of a handgun.
According to court documents, his mother told investigators that she spoke to her son recently and he had requested money to return to Michigan. She told him no and he became angry. He said he would sell some silver and return to Michigan in the next few days.
On the morning of Feb. 18, 2023, he posted this on Twitter: “I’ll be coming back to Michigan, still driving with expired plates. You may want to let everyone know, and Wayne County sheriff as well, any attempt to subdue me will be met with deadly force in self-defense.”
Carpenter has been charged with transmitting an interstate threat. He faces up to five years in prison.
“Investigating crimes based on religious bias is one of the FBI’s highest priorities because of the devastating impact they have on individuals and communities,” said James A. Tarasca, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Detroit Field Office. “The victims, in this case, were specifically targeted because of their religion. The FBI is committed to working with our partners to detect and prevent violent incidents motivated by bias or hate. We also urge the public to report any suspected hate crimes to the FBI and local law enforcement.”
If you are a victim of a hate crime or have information about a hate crime you can contact the Michigan Department of Attorney General at 313-456-0180.
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