A federal criminal complaint filed today charges David Aaron Bloyed, 59, of Frost, Texas, with threatening to lynch and kill Nashville District Attorney Glenn Funk.
According to the complaint, on July 14, 2024, members of the Goyim Defense League (“GDL”) – an anti-Semitic hate group – were protesting in downtown Nashville when they encountered an employee of a local bar. A fight broke out and a GDL member was arrested and charged with aggravated assault for hitting the bar employee repeatedly using a metal flagpole with a swastika flag affixed to the top.
While in Nashville, GDL members routinely posted about their activities on various social media platforms, including Telegram. Following the arrest of the GDL member, a Telegram user associated with GDL posted threats against DA Funk that included a photograph of DA Funk with the caption, “Getting the rope,” and an emoji finger pointed towards Funk’s image. The posts also included a photograph of a person hanging by the neck from a gallows, with the phrases, “The ‘Rope List’ grew by a few more Nashville jews today,” and “Will you survive the day of the rope?” Law enforcement subsequently identified another social media account with an almost identical username, belonging to Bloyed and containing threats nearly identical to those posted on the Telegram account.
“In a functioning democracy, we simply cannot tolerate threats of violence against elected officials,” said United States Attorney for the Middle District of Tennessee Henry C. Leventis. “The charges announced today are just the latest illustration of the Department’s commitment to protecting public servants and upholding the rule of law.”
This case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Nashville Resident Agency, Memphis Field Office and the MNPD.
“While our uniformed officers monitored the group during their presence in July to ensure public safety, our Specialized Investigations Division was also at work,” said MNPD Chief John Drake. “I commend our Security Threat detectives for their diligence in pursuing this case.”
If convicted, Bloyed faces up to five years in federal prison. He is presently in custody in Texas.