The Queens District Attorney’s office charged a Texas man on Thursday with making a “terroristic threat” as a hate crime against Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic mayoral nominee and a Queens Assembly member.
The suspect, Jeremy Fistel, 44, stands accused of allegedly leaving a series of voicemails threatening violence against Mamdani and his family on his Assembly office phone. According to the Queens DA’s office, the threats began in June, while Mamdani was running in the Democratic primary, and continued through July after he won.
Specifically, Queens DA Melinda Katz alleges that Fistel told Mamdani to go back to his native country of Uganda “before somebody shoots him in the head, to keep an eye on his house and family, to watch his back every second until he leaves America, and that he and his relatives deserve to die.”
In a June 18 message, Fistel allegedly told Mamdani: “Go on and start your car, see what happens” — appearing to threaten to blow up the lawmaker’s car. However, Mamdani has said he does not own a car. He voicemails also allegedly included anti-Muslim sentiments against Mamdani, who is Muslim.
‘There is no room for hate or bigotry’: Queens DA
The indictment comes amid a year of political violence around the country — including, most recently, the killing of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk in Utah and the murder of Minnesota House Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman, a Democrat, in June.
“Let me be very clear – we take threats of violence against any office holder extremely seriously – and there is no room for hate or bigotry in our political discourse,” Katz said. “The defendant has now been extradited to Queens to face the serious charges against him.”
In a statement, Mamdani’s campaign said it would not specifically comment on the details of the charges.
“We are grateful to District Attorney Katz’s office for treating this matter with the seriousness it deserves. Unfortunately, threats of this nature are all too common—and they reflect a broader climate of hate that has no place in our city,” the campaign said. “We cannot and will not be intimidated by racism, Islamophobia, and hate. Zohran remains steadfast in his conviction that New York must be a city where every single person—regardless of faith, background, or identity—is safe, protected, and at home.”
According to the Queens DA’s office, Fistel was arrested in Texas on Sept. 11 and extradited to Queens on Sept. 17.
Fistel, of Plano, TX, was arraigned in Queens County Criminal Court on a 22-count indictment on Sept. 18. He faces charges including four counts of making a terroristic threat as a hate crime, four counts of making a terroristic threat, seven counts of aggravated harassment in the second degree as a hate crime and seven counts of aggravated harassment in the second degree.
If convicted on the top charge, Fistel faces up to 15 years in prison. Justice Michelle A. Johnson ordered that he be back in court on Nov. 19.
Fistel was released after posting $30,000 bail. He refused to answer questions from amNewYork and other reporters as he walked out of the courthouse down Queens Boulevard.
Jeremy Fistel of Texas posts bail in Queens after being arrested for allegedly making terroristic threats to @ZohranKMamdani pic.twitter.com/kjBhrRjHx0
— Dean_Moses (@Dean_Moses) September 18, 2025
During the arraignment, Fistel’s defense attorney, Todd Douglas Greenberg, said he believes the case is “extremely weak.” He argued that Fistel’s comments were free speech.
“No one is sitting here arguing that what my client allegedly said is proper,” Greenberg said. “It’s, quite frankly, it’s unpleasant speech. You can call it whatever you want, unpleasant, improper, but it’s free speech.”
Greenberg further argued that Fistel’s alleged messages did not amount to a terroristic threat because they were not “specific” nor “imminent.”
“Wishing somebody did this to him, to Mamdani or whoever the subject was, hoping it happens is not a crime, at least not the top charge that allegedly carries 15 years in jail,” he said.
