The Canandaigua man who was charged with sending a violent threat that forced the cancellation of the Christkindl Dinner Dance at Canandaigua’s Granger Homestead in November has now been charged by federal prosecutors.
56-year-old Michael J. Keitz, was charged by criminal complaint with interstate transmission of threats to injure another person, according to U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo. The charge carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
According to court documents, the Director of the Granger Homestead and Carriage Museum received an email on Nov. 5 from an account identifying itself as a potential donor. Over several days, the Director and the sender exchanged messages about museum events and a possible visit.
But just before noon on Nov. 7, the Director received another message from the same address with the subject line “DEATH TO THE JEWS.” The email threatened to “bring death and destruction” to an event scheduled that weekend and stated the sender would bring “swift justice worse than OCTOBER 7th,” the complaint says.
The threat prompted the cancellation of the museum’s Christkindl Dinner Dance, resulting in roughly $10,000 in losses and the disruption of one of the Homestead’s major annual events.
Officers determined the threatening messages were sent from Keitz using a computer at the Wood Library in Canandaigua, according to the complaint. Federal prosecutors say Keitz has multiple prior felony convictions and was currently on federal supervised release following a 2021 bank robbery conviction for which he served a seven-year prison sentence.
“A threat by any individual to harm a large number of people in a public setting is concerning and something that our Office takes very seriously,” DiGiacomo said. “Residents of the Western District of New York deserve to move around their community freely … The threats made in this case were quickly traced to the defendant, who will now be held accountable.”
Keitz made his initial appearance Tuesday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark W. Pedersen and was ordered detained.
The case is being investigated by the Canandaigua Police Department, New York State Police, and the FBI.
The fact that a defendant has been charged with a crime is merely an accusation; the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
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