A 43-year-old Las Vegas man, John Anthony Miller, has been arrested and charged with a federal offense after allegedly leaving a series of antisemitic voicemail threats targeting one of Nevada’s US senators. Miller was taken into custody by the police on a Thursday and made his first appearance in federal court the following Friday, where he was officially charged with one count of threatening a federal official.
While the official complaint does not explicitly mention the US senator in question, the office of Senator Jacky Rosen has confirmed that she was the intended recipient of these disturbing threats.
Senator Jacky Rosen, a Nevada Democrat, holds the distinction of being the third Jewish woman to serve in the Senate and is described as a vocal advocate for Israel. A spokesperson for her office emphasized the importance of taking threats against public officials seriously and expressed trust in the U.S. Attorney’s office and federal law enforcement to address the matter with due diligence.
According to federal prosecutors, Miller made several phone calls to Senator Rosen’s office earlier in the month, leaving a series of profanity-laced voicemails that contained explicit threats of physical harm, abduction, and even murder. In a particularly alarming voicemail from October 17, Miller disturbingly stated, “We’re going to finish what Hitler started,” and in another message, he said, “You’ve chosen your evil side; we’re going to exterminate you.” These voicemails were laden with antisemitic slurs and references to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Two days later, Miller left yet another extensive voicemail, this time connecting the senator to events in Israel, the Palestinian territories, and the West Bank. He asserted that Senator Rosen would take no action to intervene in these matters and even made accusations that she allowed her own family members to harm Palestinians in the West Bank.
Prior to the delivery of these troubling voicemails, Miller allegedly appeared at a courthouse in Las Vegas, declaring his intention to visit Senator Rosen. However, his entry was denied as he failed to comply with a court security officer’s request to inspect his identification closely. In response to being refused entry, Miller reportedly shouted a slew of profanities, including violent statements against Israelis.
A preliminary hearing for Miller’s case is scheduled for November 13, where he will appear before US Magistrate Judge Elayna Youchah.
In light of the recent surge in antisemitic incidents, the Anti-Defamation League reported a significant increase in hate crimes since the October 7 attacks by Hamas on Israel. These attacks, recognized as acts of terror by the U.S. and several other countries, resulted in a staggering 388 percent spike in antisemitic incidents over the same period the previous year. Consequently, various federal departments have initiated actions to address the rising concerns of antisemitism, and a White House official has affirmed their commitment to tackling this issue.
