Philly man charged with making phone threats, including with antisemitic and Islamophobic language

A 50-year-old Philadelphia man has been charged with making telephone threats separately against eight people with antisemitic or Islamophobic or misogynistic language, U.S. Attorney Jacqueline C. Romero said Monday.

Yaniv Gola was charged by criminal information Monday with eight counts of interstate communication with threats from August 2022 to November 2023, Romero said.

Gola allegedly used a voice-over-internet protocol to hide his phone number while he made calls to the victims threatening to kill, rape, or injure them, Romero said.

The Oct. 7 Hamas attack and Israel’s ongoing siege in Gaza has led to an increase in both antisemitic and Islamophobic attacks across the nation. All but one of Gola’s alleged threatening phone calls occurred before the beginning of the Israel-Hamas war, according to the criminal information.

If convicted on all counts, Gola faces a maximum sentence of 40 years in federal prison and a $2 million fine, Romero said.

The four-page criminal information provides no further information about Gola or his alleged motivation.

Gola could not be reached for comment.

Romero said the case was investigated by the FBI with the help of local police departments in Philadelphia, Media Borough in Delaware County, Newtown Township in Bucks County, Cinnaminson Township in Burlington County, and Haddonfield Township in Camden County.