Four More Charged in University of Michigan Israel-Ties Case
The new indictment adds four defendants to a federal case involving alleged threats, vandalism and property damage aimed at pressuring the University of Michigan to end financial ties to Israel. Srishti Tarana Sharma, Joseph Mark Fisher, Aaron Hunter Vonbargen and Henry David MacKeen-Shapiro were named. MacKeen-Shapiro and Vonbargen were in custody and expected to appear in court on October 30; Fisher and Sharma were not in custody.
The indictment describes incidents targeting university leaders, local companies and Detroit’s Jewish Federation. Investigators have pointed to fake bloody corpses placed in a university regent’s yard and anti-Israel graffiti sprayed at the home of Santa Ono, then the university president, in 2024. Prosecutors also describe threats, broken windows and jars containing noxious chemicals thrown into homes, along with symbols and images shared online.
Eight people were charged in June in connection with the alleged campaign. They have pleaded not guilty. The cases arise amid pro-Palestinian demands that the university divest from firms linked to Israel. The university has said less than 0.1% of its endowment is in funds that might include companies in Israel.
The university cleared a pro-Palestinian encampment in 2024, saying it posed a public-safety threat. Lawyers representing activists who sued the university criticized the earlier indictment, arguing that the federal case criminalizes student opposition to Israel’s actions in Gaza. The new charges expand the prosecution as the case proceeds.
Federal Case Adds Four Defendants Amid Debate Over Gaza Protest
Four new defendants have been added to a case rooted in protests over the University of Michigan’s financial ties to Israel. The prosecution alleges intimidation, threats and vandalism; the charges arrive in a debate over whether opposition to Israel’s actions in Gaza is being swept into a criminal case.
The defendants are Srishti Tarana Sharma, Joseph Mark Fisher, Aaron Hunter Vonbargen and Henry David MacKeen-Shapiro. MacKeen-Shapiro and Vonbargen were in custody and expected in court on October 30, while Fisher and Sharma were not. Prosecutors cite alleged attacks on university leaders, local companies and Detroit’s Jewish Federation, including fake bloody corpses placed in a regent’s yard and anti-Israel graffiti at Santa Ono’s home in 2024.
Those indicted in June—eight people in all—have entered not-guilty pleas. Lawyers representing activists who sued the university said the earlier indictment criminalizes student opposition to alleged human-rights violations and war crimes in Gaza. The university says less than 0.1% of its endowment is in funds that might include companies in Israel.
The allegations are serious, but the case also raises the stakes for protest and dissent around the Israel-Gaza conflict. The university cleared a campus encampment in 2024, saying it posed a public-safety threat; the latest indictment extends the federal prosecution.
Four More Charged in Alleged Campaign Targeting Jewish Community
Federal authorities have expanded a case involving alleged threats and vandalism against Jewish organizations, university officials and businesses. The new charges underscore the gravity of an alleged campaign intended to pressure the University of Michigan to cut financial ties to Israel.
The four defendants are Srishti Tarana Sharma, Joseph Mark Fisher, Aaron Hunter Vonbargen and Henry David MacKeen-Shapiro. MacKeen-Shapiro and Vonbargen were in custody and expected in court on October 30; Fisher and Sharma were not. Prosecutors describe broken windows, threats, jars containing noxious chemicals thrown into homes, and symbols associated with Hamas placed at victims’ homes and workplaces.
Targets included Detroit’s Jewish Federation and university leaders. Investigators have also cited fake bloody corpses placed in a regent’s yard and anti-Israel graffiti at the home of then-president Santa Ono in 2024. Eight individuals indicted in June have denied the charges, and the new defendants remain accused, not convicted.
The university has said less than 0.1% of its endowment is in funds that might include companies in Israel. Pro-Palestinian activists have demanded divestment, and lawyers for activists criticized the earlier federal case as criminalizing protest. But demands for political change cannot excuse threats and intimidation if prosecutors prove the allegations.
Reported by The Philadelphia Inquirer, FOX 2 Detroit, CBS Detroit, Reason, Townhall, New York Post, Breitbart.
