Four more charged in the federal case over threats to Detroit’s Jewish Federation and University of Michigan leaders, bringing the total to 12

DETROIT — Federal prosecutors have charged four more people in what they call a sprawling conspiracy to terrorize the Jewish Federation of Detroit, University of Michigan leaders, a university police officer and businesses seen as tied to Israel, bringing the number of defendants to 12.

A federal grand jury’s superseding indictment, unsealed Friday, names Henry David MacKeen-Shapiro, 23; Aaron Hunter Vonbargen, 25; Joseph Mark Fisher, 23; and Srishti Tarana Sharma, 23, according to U.S. Attorney Jerome F. Gorgon Jr. MacKeen-Shapiro and Vonbargen were arrested this week and were due for a first court appearance Friday. Fisher and Sharma remain at large.

The charges are allegations, and all defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty.

What prosecutors allege

According to the indictment as described by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the defendants and others planned after the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attacks to intimidate the University of Michigan and private companies into cutting any perceived ties to Israel, and warned that refusing would bring more retaliation.

Prosecutors say the group used encrypted messaging apps, social media and overseas collaboration tools to research and pick targets. They allege the group spray-painted threats, broke windows and threw glass jars filled with noxious chemicals into family homes, then posted photos of the attacks online with more warnings. Prosecutors say victims’ homes and workplaces were marked with red handprints and red inverted triangles, which the office described as a symbol Hamas uses to mark targets for death.

Those targeted, according to the office, include the Jewish Federation of Detroit, two U-M regents and other university leaders, a U-M police lieutenant, a U-M student and two businesses.

“From Pharaoh to Hitler to Hamas, those who terrorize Jews have been the bad guys. As Americans, our job is to fight the bad guys,” Gorgon said. Jennifer Runyan, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Detroit office, said, “Those who believe they can threaten families, hide behind a group, and avoid accountability should think again. Justice will find you.”

The first eight

The new indictment builds on charges filed in June against eight people after FBI raids in Ypsilanti, FOX 2 Detroit reported. That group includes residents of Ann Arbor, Canton and Dearborn as well as Milwaukee and Chicago. Jewish Insider reported that on the first anniversary of the Oct. 7 attacks, the defendants vandalized the Jewish Federation’s building and two other businesses with spray-painted words including “intifada.”

The cases are in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan.

Sources:
U.S. Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of Michigan, “U.S. Attorney Announces Charges Against Four Additional Defendants in Sprawling Conspiracy Terrorizing Jewish Community, University of Michigan Officials,” Oct. 30, 2026, as republished (defendants, arrests, allegations, targets, quotes), https://pubt.io/view/F6877FB176DE69546376C9DE6EB3EE79F7B52D6E
FOX 2 Detroit, “Four more indicted for allegedly conspiring to threaten Jewish community in Michigan,” Oct. 30, 2026 (June charges, Ypsilanti raids, first eight defendants), https://www.fox2detroit.com/news/jewish-intimidation-israel-michigan-indictment-grand-jury
Jewish Insider, “Four new defendants charged in plot targeting Jewish groups, University of Michigan leaders,” Oct. 2026 (Oct. 7 anniversary vandalism), https://jewishinsider.com/2026/10/four-new-defendants-charged-in-plot-targeting-jewish-groups-university-of-michigan-leaders/
Photo: Andrew Jameson, “Theodore Levin United States Courthouse Detroit MI,” Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0, cropped and resized, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Theodore_Levin_United_States_Courthouse_Detroit_MI.jpg

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Tags: Detroit · Ann Arbor · University of Michigan · Jewish Federation of Detroit · FBI · Federal court