Man indicted, accused of harassing Fresno councilmember in 2020, officials say

FRESNO, Calif. ( KSEE/KGPE ) – A man has been indicted following an investigation in which he is accused of engaging in criminal actions against a Fresno councilmember and others during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, a statement sent by Councilmember Miguel Arias said.

Councilmember Arias says he was notified by the U.S. Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation on Thursday regarding the incident of Mohammad Amr Alhashemi, who is accused of engaging in criminal actions “designed to disrupt, harass, and threaten our city,” along with another group of people.

In 2020, Arias says he ensured access to local government continued during the pandemic by utilizing Zoom for virtual public participation. He says access was critical during this time as the public was not allowed to attend council meetings in person given health and safety concerns.

However, he says some individuals used the city’s public comment section to create disruption. It was suspected at the time that those engaging in threatening behavior were not Fresnans, and did not respect the city’s resident’s values.

Arias says at the time of the Zoom meetings he cautioned that the FBI was monitoring their threats to those participating and that they would be held accountable, but the behavior did not stop and continued for months. He says it was eventually replicated by “local extremists” who went as far as to threaten him and his family at home and engage in a national insurrection in D.C.

The councilmember says he appreciates the work of the FBI in this case making those involved accountable.

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