WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — The man organizing neo-Nazi rallies across Florida during September is facing charges related to a different antisemitic incident.
The West Palm Beach Police Department said Jon Minadeo Jr. and another individual "were throwing the clear plastic baggies with white paper and brown pellets" into the street and onto private yards in March 2023., according to court documents.
Social media posts show Minadeo organizing an antisemitic event to occur in Florida during September. He also created a fundraiser for gas money, rentals, lodging and clothing for the event. Social media posts also show one of the groups involved has ties to Ohio.
Palm Beach County
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People found plastic bags filled with brown pellets and papers with antisemitic messages on Labor Day in Wellington, West Palm Beach and Okeechobee County. As of Wednesday, police haven't filed any charges related to those incidents.
Social media posts also show Minadeo participating in a neo-Nazi rally in Orlando during Labor Day Weekend.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement said it made an arrest related to a different neo-Nazi demonstration, which also occurred in Orlando. It said Jason Brown hung swastikas and other antisemitic banners along the Daryl Carter Parkway Bridge around in June without permission.
State
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Mark Glass, who is the commissioner for the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, said a new law called House Bill 269 helped law enforcement make an arrest. He said he's thankful the bill became a law.
“We want to thank Governor DeSantis for his support of law enforcement and for the signing of HB 269, giving us the tools to arrest this hate-filled radical,” Glass said. “This activity will not be tolerated in the greatest state in the country, Florida.”
According to the state legislature's website, the bill passed without a single vote against the legislation.
Palm Beach County State Attorney Dave Aronberg (D) said the bill allows prosecutors to file more server crimes against people throwing hateful material into private locations. But, he said the new law doesn't criminalize organizing these types of events.
“The ones who are organizing, the law doesn’t cover them," Aronberg said. "And the First Amendment covers what they are doing, at least the organization, though it does not protect though, the projection of swastikas on buildings or the distribution of this filth.”
He said he plans to use the new law to prosecute "cowards" sharing these hateful messages to the fullest extent of the law. But, he is unsure if the new law could sustain a legal challenge.
State Rep. Mike Caruso, R-Delray Beach, sponsored the new law. He said he believes prosecutors could charge organizers with various conspiracy charges.
The FDLE said it has warrants out for three other individuals related to this new law. But, a spokesperson said she didn't have their names available to release.
