Man Arrested for Threatening to Burn Down Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro's Home, Police Say
Richard Franklin was taken into custody after police said he threatened arson against the governor's mansion and used an antisemitic slur.
- Pennsylvania State Police arrested Richard John Franklin, 65, on Wednesday for allegedly making antisemitic threats of arson against Governor Josh Shapiro at District Representative Leanne Krueger's office on Tuesday.
- Franklin visited Krueger's office seeking assistance with an unpaid $19 tax bill, but became irate when a staff member attempted to help, using an ethnic slur and threatening to burn down the Mansion.
- During an interview Wednesday, investigators from the PSP Political Violence Threat Unit reported Franklin provided conflicting accounts but admitted to using an ethnic slur, characterizing his threats as "positive in nature."
- Bail for Franklin was set at $100,000, and he is being held at the Delaware County Prison while awaiting a preliminary hearing scheduled for July 16.
- The arrest occurs less than three months after Cody Balmer firebombed the Mansion in April 2025, receiving a 25 to 50-year sentence. The PSP Political Violence Threat Unit was created to address rising ideologically motivated threats.
18 Articles
18 Articles
Philadelphia area man charged with antisemitic, terror threat against Gov. Shapiro
Franklin was charged with making terror threats, ethnic intimidation, political threats, harassment, and disorderly conduct. By Jonathan D. Salant, JNS More than a year after an anti-Israel arsonist attacked the governor’s mansion in Harrisburg, Pa., while Gov. Josh Shapiro and his family were there on April 13, 2024, a resident of suburban Philadelphia was arrested for threatening the state’s Jewish chief executive and using antisemitic slurs i…
Pennsylvania Man Charged After Alleged Antisemitic Threats Against Gov. Josh Shapiro
BROOKHAVEN, Pa. (VINnews) — A Pennsylvania man has been charged after authorities said he made antisemitic remarks and threatened violence against Gov. Josh Shapiro while seeking assistance at a state lawmaker’s district office. Richard John Franklin, 65, of Delaware County, was arrested Wednesday following an investigation by the Pennsylvania State Police. According to investigators, Franklin […]
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