A Maryland man was sentenced to more than three years in federal prison after pleading guilty to mailing threatening letters to Jewish institutions, according to a March 16 press release.
Clift Seferlis of Garrett Park, Maryland, faces 37 months in prison, three years of supervised release, a $40,000 fine and a $2,000 special assignment, the United States Department of Justice announced.
In November, Seferlis, 55, pleaded guilty to 17 counts of mailing threatening communications and eight counts of obstructing the free exercise of religious beliefs arising from threats sent to Jewish organizations.
Between March 2024 and June 2025, Seferlis targeted at least 25 Jewish institutions across Pennsylvania, Washington, D.C., Maryland, Virginia and Massachusetts with more than three dozen threatening letters and postcards. The institutions included synagogues, museums, community centers, schools, nonprofit organizations and a Jewish deli.
“For more than a year, the defendant terrorized Jewish communities across the country, robbing his victims of their peace and security,” Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon said in the press release. “The defendant’s sentence should be a warning to all that religious-based terror will not be tolerated in this country.”
“The Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History and the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia are grateful to the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania and the Honorable Mark A. Kearney for holding Clift A. Seferlis accountable through today’s sentencing. Between April 2024 and June 2025, Mr. Seferlis sent threatening letters to members of The Weitzman’s staff in an attempt to intimidate a Jewish institution and the people who work there,” said both organizations in a statement. “It is critically important that those who seek to intimidate Jewish institutions are identified and held accountable. We thank the FBI, the Secure Community Network (SCN) and other partners for their coordinated work. Together, we remain committed to ensuring that Jewish institutions nationwide and in Greater Philadelphia continue to be welcoming, vibrant places where people can gather safely and proudly.”