U.S. Attorney William R. “Will” Keyes has secured a hate crime conviction against Ariel E. Collazo Ramos, 32, of High Point, North Carolina, for mailing antisemitic threats to Georgia State House Representative Esther Panitch and Rabbi Elizabeth Bahar of Temple Beth Israel in Macon. The conviction follows a two-day trial before U.S. District Judge Marc Treadwell.
Ramos was found guilty on one count of mailing threatening communications with a hate crime enhancement. He faces up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine. Sentencing is set for January 8, 2026.
According to court documents and statements at trial, the threats were sent after both women publicly supported Georgia House Bill 30—the state’s first legislation defining antisemitism—which was signed into law on January 31, 2024. A neo-Nazi group had previously gathered outside Temple Beth Israel during Sabbath observance in 2023.
Ramos operated an at-home business called “Patriot Candle Company,” selling products with racial and white nationalist themes. He mailed postcards from North Carolina to the home addresses of Rep. Panitch and Rabbi Bahar containing antisemitic messages and imagery referencing Zyklon B—a chemical used by Nazis during the Holocaust—and included language promoting violence against Jews.
Both recipients testified about measures they took for their safety after receiving the postcards. They also shared that family members had been killed by Nazis using Zyklon B during the Holocaust.
“The defendant was not exercising his free speech when he mailed antisemitic postcards to Rabbi Elizabeth Bahar and Georgia House Representative Esther Panitch—this neo-Nazi delivered a true threat to life and liberty,” said U.S. Attorney William R. “Will” Keyes. “Antisemitic threats and all threats made against the federally protected freedoms of our citizens will not be tolerated in the Middle District of Georgia. We will utilize the full power of the federal government to protect our civil rights.”
“Antisemitic hate has no place in Georgia or anywhere, and this verdict shows these hateful threats are clearly a crime,” said FBI Atlanta Special Agent in Charge Paul Brown. “No person and no community should have to live in fear of hate-fueled violence. The conviction of Ariel E. Collazo Ramos shows the FBI’s commitment to root out these threats and ensure all people are protected in the expression of their faith.”
The FBI investigated the case, which was prosecuted by U.S. Attorney Will Keyes with assistance from the Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section.
This press release is being issued following a period when it could not be released due to a government shutdown.
