The U.S. Department of Justice said Monday that after pleading guilty to 17 counts of mailing threats to Jewish institutions and eight counts of obstructing free religious exercise, Cliff Seferlis was sentenced to 37 months in prison and fined $40,000, as well as a $2,200 assessment.

The 55-year-old Garrett Park, Maryland, resident was also sentenced to three years of supervised release upon the end of his prison term.

“For more than a year, the defendant terrorized Jewish communities across the country, robbing his victims of their peace and security,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon in a statement. “The defendant’s sentence should be a warning to all that religious-based terror will not be tolerated in this country.”  

“Threats directed at religious institutions are attacks not just on those communities but on the freedoms guaranteed to all Americans,” added U.S. Attorney David Metcalf. “Individuals who attempt to intimidate or terrorize others because of their faith will face the full force of federal law.”

Court filings show that from March 2024 to June 2025, Seferlis used the United States Postal Service to mail 40 threatening letters and postcards to various Jewish institutions across the country, including synagogues, museums, schools, community centers — and even a Jewish deli.

“Many of these written communications threatened to destroy physical buildings and/or injure individuals,” the Justice Department said in a statement. “The threatening communications were intended to intimidate recipients and interfere with congregants and others in the enjoyment of their free exercise of religious beliefs.”