MACON, Ga. – A North Carolina man was sentenced Wednesday to five years in prison, the statutory maximum, for mailing antisemitic threats to a Georgia state representative and a Macon rabbi following the passage of the state’s first bill defining antisemitism.

Max sentence in hate crime

What we know:

Ariel E. Collazo Ramos, 32, of High Point, North Carolina, was sentenced Feb. 4 by U.S. District Judge Marc Treadwell to serve 60 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release. Ramos was found guilty of mailing threatening communications with a hate crime enhancement during a trial in November 2025. There is no parole in the federal system.

The threats targeted state Rep. Esther Panitch, the only Jewish member of the Georgia House of Representatives, and Rabbi Elizabeth Bahar of Temple Beth Israel in Macon. Both women had publicly supported Georgia House Bill 30, which was signed into law on Jan. 31, 2024.

The postcards featured a hand-drawn image of a Jewish man in a rat costume with the words “JEWS ARE RATS.” On the back, Ramos wrote: “Is there a child rape, torture, and murder tunnel under your house? We have the Zyklon B. Use Code ‘GASTHEJEWS’ for 10% off!”

The reference to Zyklon B, the lethal gas used by Nazis during the Holocaust, carried a personal weight for the victims. Both Bahar and Panitch testified at trial that they have family members who were murdered by Nazis using that specific gas.

Georgia’s antisemitism bill

Timeline:

According to court records, the harassment coincided exactly with the landmark legislation:

• Jan. 31, 2024: Rep. Panitch received an antisemitic postcard at her home the morning the bill was signed.
• Feb. 1, 2024: Rabbi Bahar received an identical postcard at her home.

Neo-Nazi activity

Dig deeper:

Evidence presented at trial showed that Ramos operated a home business selling candles and postcards featuring white nationalist and antisemitic themes.

The threats followed a 2023 incident where a neo-Nazi group gathered outside Temple Beth Israel while congregants observed the Sabbath. In early 2024, Rabbi Bahar testified before the Georgia Senate Judiciary Committee in support of HB 30, which Panitch had co-sponsored.

Feds pledge to prosecute ‘any hate crime’

What they’re saying:

“Today’s sentencing of neo-Nazi Ariel Ramos reinforces the FBI’s unwavering commitment to protecting civil rights and sends a clear message that threats based on faith or identity will not be tolerated,” said Robert Gibbs, FBI Atlanta Supervisory Senior Resident Agent.

“Let me be clear: individuals like this defendant will face federal prosecution for criminal acts driven by hatred,” said U.S. Attorney William R. “Will” Keyes. “This case underscores that crimes rooted in antisemitism and any hate crime against race, religion, or protected groups, will be prioritized.”