A Philadelphia man was sentenced to 16 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for making hundreds of threatening phone calls to Jewish and Muslim individuals, subjecting them to a torrent of abuse and terror.
Yaniv Gola, 51, used a device to mask his phone number and made over 600 calls to eight different victims between August 2022 and November 2023, making threats to injure, rape, and kill. The calls, made with a disturbing viciousness, caused his victims significant distress and trauma.
In one particularly chilling call, Gola referenced the Holocaust, saying, “You f—king Jews, I know where you are. I’m going to kill all you Jews. You all should be shoved back into ovens. I’m going down to [victim’s business location] to kill you.” This is a reference to the gas chambers used by the Nazis during World War II.
The calls were not limited to anti-Semitic threats. In one instance, Gola identified himself as a supporter of Hamas and threatened a Muslim victim, saying, “You’re Jewish, I’m from Hamas. You’re animals and pigs … If you don’t leave that place, we’re going to blow you up.” On another call, he told a Muslim victim, “I want to put a bullet in your head… You f—king Muslim.”
The victims of Gola’s abuse were subjected to a campaign of terror, with Gola investigating their daily routines and working details to heighten their fear. “Yaniv Gola made hundreds of these calls and texts, terrorizing his victims with incredibly vile, violent threats,” said US Attorney Jacqueline Romero. “He learned where they lived and worked, deploying those details just to heighten their fear. My office and the FBI will continue to hold accountable anyone making such cruel and criminal threats.”
The case was investigated by the FBI, with assistance from the Philadelphia Police Department and other law enforcement agencies in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. “Let today’s sentence serve as a reminder that the FBI will continue to diligently pursue those who make violent threats against those we are charged to protect,” said Wayne Jacobs, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Philadelphia field office.
