Canandaigua man charged with making threats to kill attendees at a holiday Christmas market

ROCHESTER, N.Y. –U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that Michael J. Keitz, 56, of Canandaigua, NY, was charged by criminal complaint with interstate transmission of threats to injure the persons of another, which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Brett A. Harvey, who is handling the case, stated that according to the complaint, on the afternoon of November 5, 2025, the Director of the Granger Homestead and Carriage Museum received an email from justonstclair0@gmail.com with the subject line “$20,000 donation consideration.” In the body of the email, the sender stated that he would like to donate to the museum but wanted to visit the museum before making any donation. Over the next few days, the Director and the sender exchanged emails regarding upcoming events at the museum and a potential visit. Late in the morning of November 7, 2025, the Director received another email from justonstclair0@gmail.com, but the subject line read “DEATH TO THE JEWS.” The email contained a threat to “bring death and destruction” to an event scheduled at the museum that weekend. The email also stated that “we will bring a swift justice worse than OCTOBER 7th.” The threatening email resulted in the cancellation of the event, which resulted in a loss of approximately $10,000 in expenses and a substantial amount of revenue.

On November 9, 2025, Keitz was taken into custody by Canandaigua Police officers on an unrelated matter. During that investigation, Canandaigua officers determined that the email address justonstclair0@gmail.com belonged to Keitz, and the emails were sent from the Wood Library in Canandaigua.

Keitz has prior felony state and federal convictions and is currently on federal supervised release based on a 2021 conviction for bank robbery, for which he served 84 months in prison.  

“A threat by any individual to harm a large number of people in a public setting is concerning and something that our Office takes very seriously,” stated U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo. “Residents of the Western District of New York deserve to move around their community freely, whether it be everyday activities or attending a holiday event. The threats made in this case were quickly traced to the defendant, who will now be held accountable for his actions.”

“Today’s federal arrest of Michael Keitz should serve as a warning for those who use the internet to threaten violence and terrorize people.” said Philip Tejera, Special Agent-in-Charge of the FBI’s Buffalo Field Office. “Unfortunately, the FBI continues to see threats of violence all too often – in person and online. The FBI takes all acts or threats of violence seriously and is committed to working side-by-side with our law enforcement partners to ensure the safety of our communities.”

Keitz made an initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark W. Pedersen and was detained.

The complaint is the result of an investigation by the Canandaigua Police Department, under the direction of Chief Mathew Nielsen, the New York State Police, under the direction of Major Kevin Sucher and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Philip Tejera.

The fact that a defendant has been charged with a crime is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.   

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