King County prosecutors charged a Seattle man with a hate-crime offense after authorities say he left antisemitic voicemails, including threats, on the phone line of Temple De Hirsch Sinai in Seattle, a Reform synagogue founded in 1899.

In a complaint and police report shared with JNS, filed on Dec. 17 in King County Superior Court, prosecuting attorney Leesa Manion alleged that Joshua Cole Scott, 30, “maliciously and intentionally” acted “in whole or in part because of his perception of the religion of another.”

Scott allegedly called the synagogue’s main line on Dec. 12 and left two voicemails containing anti-Jewish hate speech, the second including threats to kill. The police report references a “1 minute and 40 seconds” voicemail rant in which Cole said “little f**king Jews” and “Americans now are done with you.”