A former paid campaign worker for Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed is among 12 individuals indicted in a federal investigation into an alleged campaign of threats, vandalism, and intimidation directed at Jewish community organizations, University of Michigan officials, and businesses associated with Israel.
The Justice Department announced October 30 that four additional defendants had been charged in a sweeping conspiracy case involving alleged efforts to intimidate individuals and organizations into severing ties with Israel.
The announcement expanded the total number of defendants to 12, including 24-year-old Mariam Muhammed Odeh of Dearborn, Michigan, who previously worked for El-Sayed’s Senate campaign.
Odeh was among eight individuals originally indicted in June and has been charged with conspiracy to transmit threats in interstate and foreign commerce.
The offense carries a maximum sentence of five years in federal prison if prosecutors secure a conviction.
Federal records and campaign finance disclosures confirm that Odeh received payments from El-Sayed’s political campaign earlier in 2026.
According to records examined by The Detroit News, the campaign paid her $154 on March 3 and $593 on March 13.
Those payments totaled $747 and were reported as compensation for campaign-related work.
The campaign described Odeh as an hourly employee whose association with the organization ended in April.
The federal charges relate to activities outside that campaign employment, and prosecutors have not alleged that El-Sayed directed or participated in the charged conspiracy.
The Justice Department’s case centers on an organization of activists accused of planning coordinated actions against individuals and institutions they associated with Israel.
Prosecutors allege that the defendants sought to pressure the University of Michigan and private organizations into ending financial or other relationships with the Israeli government and Israeli businesses.
The alleged conspiracy developed following the October 7, 2023, Hamas terrorist attacks against Israel.
According to the indictment, participants organized activities intended to intimidate university administrators, law enforcement personnel, Jewish organizations, and private-sector employees.
Those actions allegedly included researching the home addresses of university officials and identifying the family members of potential targets.
Federal investigators say defendants used encrypted messaging applications and social media platforms to coordinate their activities.
The indictment describes discussions involving threats, property destruction, and efforts to frighten individuals into accepting the group’s demands.
Some defendants allegedly discussed using poison, explosives, and other methods of violence.
The Justice Department reported that certain conversations included threats directed at the children and relatives of identified targets.
In one exchange described in the original indictment, participants allegedly discussed killing, tormenting, and terrorizing university officials and their families.
Those statements became part of the federal government’s evidence concerning the nature and intended purpose of the alleged conspiracy.
Investigators also documented incidents in which individuals allegedly vandalized private residences and business properties.
According to prosecutors, members of the group broke windows, spray-painted threatening messages, and left symbols associated with Hamas at targeted locations.
Those symbols included red inverted triangles and red handprints.
Federal officials said the markings were intended to communicate threats and intimidate victims.
Investigators also described incidents involving glass jars filled with foul-smelling chemicals thrown into residential properties.
Some of the alleged attacks involved family homes rather than university buildings or public facilities.
The indictment further alleges that participants photographed the damage and published images online alongside additional warnings.
One message quoted in federal charging documents stated, “You cannot hide.”
The government contends that the public messages were part of a coordinated effort to make victims believe further retaliation would follow if the group’s demands were not satisfied.
The Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit was among the organizations identified as a target.
University of Michigan regents, senior administrators, university police personnel, and businesses with perceived Israeli connections were also named in the investigation.
The allegations prompted an extensive federal investigation involving FBI personnel and local law enforcement agencies across several states.
The original June indictment named eight defendants.
Those individuals included Odeh and seven others associated with the alleged activities.
On October 30, federal prosecutors announced charges against four additional individuals: Henry David MacKeen-Shapiro, Aaron Hunter Vonbargen, Joseph Mark Fisher, and Srishti Tarana Sharma.
Two of the newly charged defendants were arrested during the week of the announcement.
Federal authorities reported that the other two remained at large when the additional charges were unveiled.
U.S. Attorney Jerome F. Gorgon Jr. condemned the conduct described in the indictment.
He stated, “From Pharaoh to Hitler to Hamas, those who terrorize Jews have been the bad guys.”
Gorgon continued, “As Americans, our job is to fight the bad guys.”
His remarks emphasized the Justice Department’s position that political disagreements do not excuse threats against Jewish communities or public officials.
Jennifer Runyan, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Detroit Field Office, also addressed the expanded case.
She warned that individuals who threaten families or attempt to conceal their identities should expect federal investigators to pursue accountability.
According to the Justice Department, the investigation involved cooperation among the FBI, university police, Michigan law enforcement agencies, and other federal partners.
Odeh’s involvement has attracted additional attention because of her previous employment by El-Sayed’s Senate campaign.
At the time of the original charges, El-Sayed was campaigning for the Democratic nomination in Michigan’s 2026 Senate contest.
The campaign subsequently confirmed that Odeh had performed paid hourly work earlier in the year.
Campaign finance disclosures provided specific evidence of that financial relationship.
