An Oregon man was sentenced to five years in prison by a Brooklyn judge after threatening to blow up multiple Jewish hospitals and care centers on Long Island and in New York City.
Domagoj Patkovic, 31 of Portland, Ore., was given a five-year sentence for “conspiring to make threats and conveying false information about explosives,” according to a press release. Patkovic pleaded guilty to the counts back in February.
In September of 2021, Patkovic called a Nassau County hospital and claimed to have C-4 explosive devices placed in maintenance closets. The same day, Patkovic made violent threats against the same hospital to a 911 dispatcher. The hospital went into lockdown and conducted a partial evacuation as a result of the calls.
Patkovic made threats against three additional hospitals and care centers between May and September of 2021, according to court documents. Patkocvic live-streamed the calls on Discord, an instant messaging and video platform.
On multiple occasions, local police responded to the scene after the calls were placed to conduct bomb sweeps. No explosive devices were found at any of the four hospitals.
U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella Jr. said in a statement that “the defendant endangered patients and diverted precious law enforcement resources to advance his hateful agenda against people of the Jewish faith.”
According to FBI Assistant Director in Charge Christopher G. Raia, Patkovic will spend a significant amount of time in prison for the hoax calls.
“These hoax threats, motivated by Patkovic’s insidious antisemitic views, wasted law enforcement resources and put innocent lives at risk. The FBI will continue to bring to justice individuals who utilize swatting and false bomb threats to cause panic and unrest in our communities,” said Raia in a statement.
The specific hospitals targeted remain undisclosed at this time.
