A Brooklyn man was charged on June 1 with threatening to assault and murder a U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement officer outside an ICE detention facility in Newark, according to U.S. Attorney Robert Frazer.
Nicholas Matthew Scelfo, 27, of Brooklyn, New York, was arrested for influencing, impeding, and retaliating against a federal officer by threat. Scelfo appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Stacey D. Adams in Newark federal court on June 1 and was released on a $100,000 bond with the condition that he not return to Delaney Hall.
“As alleged, the defendant threatened a federal law enforcement officer and members of that officer’s family with violence and death. Threats against federal officers and their families are serious crimes and will not be tolerated. Federal officers serve our communities every day, often in difficult circumstances, and this Office is committed to holding accountable those who, as alleged here, threaten violence against them or their loved ones,” said U.S. Attorney Robert Frazer.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said, “Federal law enforcement officers face danger with great courage, and they should be able to do their jobs without being threatened and fearing for their families’ lives. We take such threats very seriously and will prosecute those who make them to the fullest extent of the law.” FBI Director Kash Patel said, “This individual allegedly threatened violence toward one of our federal law enforcement officers and their family — and by using facial recognition technology, within 24 hours this FBI got him… Let this be a message to any criminal actor who may try something similar: you touch a cop, and this FBI will put you down.”
According to documents filed in the case and statements made in court, on or about May 27 during a demonstration outside an ICE detention facility in Newark, Scelfo allegedly screamed at an ICE officer threats including: “I’ll kill your whole fucking family! Your whole fucking family is dead! Your children, your wife, all dead! I have your face… You’re dead! Dead!” The charge carries a maximum term of imprisonment of ten years along with up to $250,000 in fines.
U.S. Attorney Frazer credited special agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation; task force officers from the Joint Terrorism Task Force; Homeland Security Investigations Newark; as well as the New York Police Department for assistance during the investigation. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Camila A. Garces and Casey S. Smith of the National Security Unit in Newark.
The Justice Department serves as the principal federal agency for law enforcement through its workforce of more than 115,000 employees operating across all states as well as internationally—upholding rule of law while ensuring national safety—as described on its official website.
The charge is currently only an accusation; Scelfo is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.