A California resident has been convicted in federal court for a disturbing campaign of threats and harassment targeting a New Jersey judge.
On May 15, a federal jury in California’s Central District convicted 36-year-old Jonathan Lipman of stalking, a felony charge under U.S. law.
The conviction follows a three-day trial that revealed a months-long barrage of violent and graphic threats Lipman directed at a New Jersey Superior Court Judge and other public officials.
According to court documents and testimony, Lipman began his campaign in early 2023 after the judge signed a Final Extreme Risk Protective Order against him, barring him from possessing firearms.
The order followed earlier threats Lipman had made on social media against New Jersey law enforcement and officials.
From February to September 2023, Lipman sent approximately 400 emails to the judge and other New Jersey officials, including police officers and court staff.
The emails were sent from multiple accounts and contained graphic fantasies of violence, including beheadings, shootings, and executions.
In one particularly chilling message, Lipman sent the judge a photo of a lever-action shotgun with the subject line, “Is a photo illegal?” and a winking emoji.
Despite being warned by law enforcement in July 2023 to cease his communications, Lipman escalated his behavior, authorities said.
The FBI executed a search warrant at Lipman’s Los Angeles residence in September 2023, seizing digital evidence linking him to the threatening emails.
Even after the search and a direct warning from an FBI agent, Lipman continued sending emails, including one in which he wrote, “TAKE ME INTO CUSTODY OR I will make you arrest me for trespassing,” authorities said.
Lipman was arrested shortly thereafter and has remained in federal custody since.
His sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 3, 2025, before U.S. District Judge Fernando L. Aenlle-Rocha. He faces a statutory maximum of five years in federal prison.
The case was investigated by the FBI and prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California.
Lipman’s attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
A spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney’s Office declined to comment.