Seann Patrick Pietila (Photo in court fiile)
Seann Patrick Pietila (Photo:Court file)
An Upper Peninsula man who appeared fed up with life and fond of neo-Nazis, was sentenced earlier this week in Grand Rapids federal court to one year and one day in prison for threatening to kill Jews in a mass shooting at the Shaarey Zedek synagogue on Coolidge Road in East Lansing.
Seann Patrick Pietila, 20, made the threats while living in Lansing, authorities charged. He had planned to pull off the shooting this month.
"Today and every day we will take swift action to detect and disrupt hate crimes,” said Grand Rapids U.S. Attorney Mark Totten in a statement. “No Michigander should live in fear because of their race, ethnicity, religion, or any other protected status.”
U.S. District Judge Robert Jonker also ordered he be under three years of supervised release after serving his sentence, and pay $10,648 in restitution. The Shaarey Zedek Congregation had been seeking $14,475.15 in restitution to cover the cost of increased security after learning of the threat, according to a government court document.
In November 2023, Pietila pleaded guilty to sending numerous messages containing threats to kill others to an Instagram user located outside of Michigan. Those messages, which included references to Adolf Hitler and antisemitic language, talked of Pietila’s desire and plans to engage in a mass shooting in a manner similar to a previous mass shooter, authorities said.
During execution of a federal search warrant in June 2023, the FBI found typed notes in Pietila’s cell phone that indicated plans to engage in a mass shooting and to commit suicide, the U.S. Attorney's Office said in a press release.
He also wrote a note via social media referencing the 2019 Christchurch mosque shootings in New Zealand. The shooter, Brenton Tarrant, who live steamed his attack, is serving life in prison for killing 51 people and injuring 40 others.
"This world just sucks ass. I won’t be taken alive I’ll make sure of that. Remember 'Heil Hitler!' boom red mist gotta make it unique I guess. Maybe. I just need a camera for streaming and some more magazines," he wrote on Instagram last June 1, according to an FBI affidavit. " Don’t wanna run out of mags and have to reload one."
Days before, he wrote: "Michigan ain’t got that many kikes thankfully. Just lots of Finns and Germans."
Federal prosecutors had asked the judge for a 33 month sentence.
“We knew that it might be less (time in prison) but I was pleased that the judge ordered some restitution and I understand the judge had to take into account (Pietila's) mental health and emotional problems,” Shaarey Zedek Rabbi Amy Bigman told Robert Snell of The Detroit News. “I hope that this will help the young man go on and live a productive life.”
“He didn’t specifically apologize to us,” said Bigman, who attended the sentencing. “So that was disappointing."