BAYPORT, N.Y. — A Long Island man allegedly sent hate-filled, threatening letters to people, businesses and organizations connected to the LGBTQ+ community, including a threat to shoot up the 2021 New York City Pride March with “firepower” that would “make the 2016 Orlando Pulse Nightclub shooting look like a cakewalk,” according to a criminal complaint unsealed on Monday.
In another letter to the organizer of a June Pride event in East Meadow, prosecutors said Robert Fehring, 74, threatened to kill the man and his boyfriend.
“[W]e were right there you…FREAK!!! They couldn’t get a shot off at you, slithering around the backstage area like a snake. Too many cops. Very disappointed. But your time has come. . .. They are out to KILL you….and your boyfriend. You are being watched. No matter how long it takes, you will be taken out…. high-powered bullet….bomb….knife…. whatever it takes,” the letter read, according to the criminal complaint.
A search warrant of Fehring’s Bayport home in November turned up photos from the June Pride event in East Meadow as well as two loaded shotguns, hundreds of rounds of ammunition, two stun guns, and a stamped envelope addressed to an LGBTQ+ affiliated attorney containing the remains of a dead bird, according to the complaint.
Prosecutors said he’s been connected to threatening letters toward the LGBTQ community dating back to 2013.
FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge Michael Driscoll urged anyone who believes they may have received a letter from Fehring to reach out to the agency.
“Fehring’s alleged threats to members of the LGBTQ+ community were not only appalling, but dangerous, despite the fact he hadn’t yet acted on his purported intentions,” Driscoll said in a statement. “As the primary federal agency responsible for investigating civil rights violations, the FBI takes all threats of this nature seriously. If you or someone you know has received a similar threat, report it to us by calling 1-800-CALLFBI. In an emergency, always call your local police department.”
Fehring was arrested on Monday and was expected to be arraigned in the afternoon.