Man Gets Maximum 5 Years for Antisemitic Threats Targeting Georgia Lawmaker and Rabbi
MACON, Ga. – A North Carolina man has been sentenced to the statutory maximum of five years in federal prison after the neo-nazi was convicted for mailing antisemitic threats to Georgia’s only Jewish State House representative and the rabbi of Temple Beth Israel in Macon after both publicly supported legislation defining antisemitism.
Ariel E. Collazo Ramos, 32, of High Point, North Carolina, was sentenced on Feb. 4 to 60 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. He was convicted on Nov. 4, 2025, after a two-day trial before U.S. District Judge Marc Treadwell on one count of mailing threatening communications, with a hate crime enhancement. There is no parole in the federal system.
The threats were sent to Rep. Esther Panitch and Rabbi Elizabeth Bahar after they backed Georgia House Bill 30, the state’s first law defining antisemitism, which was signed into law on Jan. 31, 2024.
According to court documents and trial testimony, a neo-Nazi group had previously gathered outside Temple Beth Israel in 2023 while congregants were observing the Sabbath. In January 2024, Rabbi Bahar testified before the Georgia Senate Judiciary Committee in support of the bill, which was co-sponsored by Rep. Panitch.
On the morning the bill was signed, Rep. Panitch received an antisemitic postcard at her home. The following day, Rabbi Bahar received an identical postcard at her residence. The messages referenced Zyklon B, the chemical used in Nazi gas chambers during the Holocaust, and included the handwritten statement: “Is there a child rape, torture, and murder tunnel under your house? We have the Zyklon B. Use Code ‘GASTHEJEWS’ for 10% off!” The reverse side depicted a hand-drawn caricature of a Jewish man dressed as a rat with the words “JEWS ARE RATS.”
Testimony at trial revealed that both Rabbi Bahar and Rep. Panitch had family members murdered by Nazis using Zyklon B. Both women described the steps they took to protect themselves and their families after receiving the threats.
Prosecutors said Ramos sold candles, postcards, and other materials featuring racist, antisemitic, and white nationalist themes from his home in North Carolina.
U.S. Attorney William R. “Will” Keyes said federal authorities will prioritize crimes rooted in antisemitism and other forms of hate. FBI Atlanta Supervisory Senior Resident Agent Robert Gibbs of the Macon Resident Agency said the sentence reinforces the bureau’s commitment to protecting civil rights and holding offenders accountable.
The case was investigated by the FBI and prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office with assistance from the Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section.
