Palm Beach County

Neo-Nazi group founder sentenced to jail for distributing antisemitic flyers

Jon Minadeo II, the founder of the antisemitic hate group Goyim Defense League, was found guilty of a littering charge.

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A neo-Nazi was sentenced to 30 days in jail this week for distributing antisemitic literature around Palm Beach County.

Jon Minadeo II, the founder of the antisemitic hate group Goyim Defense League (GDL), was found guilty of a littering charge. Back in March, West Palm Beach Police found Minadeo and two other men driving around the community and tossing the flyers from a truck.

Prosecutors said the contents of the flyers did not come into play during the trial.

"We used this charge of littering because it was the only tool in our arsenal against these hate-mongers. Now, because of a bill sponsored by Rep. Mike Caruso, we have new arrows in our quiver," Palm Beach State Attorney Dave Aronberg said in a news conference Thursday. "We have new powers to go after these individuals criminally for spreading their filth."

Minadao's arrest and sentencing came after the passage of HB 269, which makes distributing hateful materials a felony. Rep. Mike Caruso introduced the bill in direct response to the rise of antisemitism in Florida.

“We will not be intimidated by antisemitism, we will push back strongly," Aronberg said.

Minadeo founded the GDL back in 2018. The group is known for its YouTube channel and distribution of neo-Nazi propaganda.

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