ABOVE: An FBI police car. Photo via Tiptoety/Wikimedia Commons.
Agents from the New York field office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation arrested and charged a Long Island man Dec. 6 on a warrant issued by United States Magistrate Judge Steven I. Locke for mailing letters threatening to assault, shoot and bomb LGBTQ affiliated individuals, organizations, and businesses.
According to U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York Breon Peace and Assistant Director-in-Charge of the FBI NY Field Office Michael J. Driscoll who announced the arrest, Robert Fehring, 74 had been sending individuals associated with the LGBTQ community letters in which he threatened violence, including threatening the use of firearms and explosives.
Fehring has been a resident of Bayport, New York on Long Island since at least 2013. In the criminal complaint and affidavit for arrest, federal prosecutors allege that one letter threatened that there would “be radio-cont[r]olled devices placed at numerous strategic places” at the 2021 New York City Pride March with “firepower” that would “make the 2016 Orlando Pulse Nightclub shooting look like a cakewalk,” referencing the 2016 attack in which 49 persons were killed and dozens wounded at Pulse in Orlando.
“As alleged, the defendant’s hate-filled invective and threats of violence directed at members of the LGBTQ+ community have no place in our society and will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” stated Peace. “This Office is firmly committed to protecting the civil rights of all members of every community in this district, including the LGBTQ+ community and other minority communities.”
Fehring is also alleged to have a sent a letter threatening the organizer of a June 2021 Pride event in East Meadow, New York, which stated:
“[W]e were right there you…FREAK!!! They couldn’t get a shot off at you, slithering around the back stage area like a snake. Too many cops. Very disappointed. But your time has come. . .. They are out to KILL you….and your boyfriend. You are being watched. No matter how long it takes, you will be taken out…. high-powered bullet…. bomb….knife…. whatever it takes.”
On November 18, 2021, members of the FBI’s Civil Rights Squad and the New York Joint Terrorism Task Force executed a search warrant at Fehring’s home in Bayport, New York, and recovered photographs from a June 2021 Pride event in East Meadow, New York, two loaded shotguns, hundreds of rounds of ammunition, two stun guns, and a stamped envelope addressed to an LGBTQ+ affiliated attorney containing the remains of a dead bird.
“Fehring’s alleged threats to members of the LGBTQ+ community were not only appalling, but dangerous, despite the fact he hadn’t yet acted on his purported intentions,” stated Driscoll. “As the primary federal agency responsible for investigating civil rights violations, the FBI takes all threats of this nature seriously.”
The New York Executive Director of NYC PRIDE Sandra Pérez told the Blade in an emailed statement that “We take any and all violent threats seriously and report them to the appropriate authorities. We received threatening letters earlier this year and reported them. We appreciate the work of the Justice Department in investigating this situation. We are cooperating in any way we can, and we remain committed to the safety and well-being of the LGBTQIA+ community.”
Gay City News editor Matt Tracy reported that Fehring appeared in court on December 6 before Magistrate Judge Steven I. Locke and was released on $100,000 bond. He is restricted to home detention with location monitoring, according to prosecutors. He is not allowed to have any firearms or “destructive devices,” is barred from contacting any of his alleged victims, and cannot go to the places he is said to have targeted.
