In an Oakland County Circuit Court trial that tested the boundaries of free speech, a jury has convicted a New Jersey man of falsely accusing a Bloomfield Township official of covering up sexual child abuse crimes, and of being a terrorist.
Perhaps even more perplexing for the Oakland County victim: He never knew the man who was accusing him of these crimes, nor did police ever figure out why the defendant did so.
Prosecutors said this was part of a broader antisemitic harassment campaign that began on the East Coast, and ended in Oakland County, where a jury took less than an hour to convict 50-year-old Marc Aisen of using a computer to commit a crime and unlawful posting of messages.
The jury delivered its guilty verdict on Tuesday, May 12, almost three years after Aisen began sending what authorities describe as harassing and threatening messages to Bloomfield Township Treasurer Michael Schostak.
It started with Aisen making baseless child sexual exploitation accusations against a Boston-based Jewish organization, authorities said.
When Aisen did not get a response, prosecutors said, he took things a step further and began emailing others, including the victim’s ex-wife, his colleagues, political groups — even the victim’s son’s school teacher. He also posted to public message boards, accusing the victim of covering up abuse.
Aisen also falsely accused the victim, who is Jewish, of being a member of Hamas, which the United States has designated as a terrorist organization. He even accused Schostak of being involved in Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel.
None of that was true, Schostak said, stressing: “All I ever wanted was for him to stop and leave me alone.
“I am relieved that the trial is over and I thank the prosecutors, law enforcement, and jurors who took this case seriously,” Schostak said in a statement to the Free Press on Wednesday, May 13. “I strongly support free speech rights, but harassing and threatening elected officials, their spouses, and their children has no place in a democratic society.”
Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald echoed that.
“False accusations of child abuse are among the oldest and most disgusting antisemitic tropes,” McDonald said in a statement. “A jury unanimously concluded that Marc Aisen’s behavior was not free speech. It crossed the line into criminal harassment.”
According to prosecutors, on one day alone in the fall of 2023, Aisen emailed more than 100 recipients, including the victim’s children’s school, accusing him of covering up abuse and being affiliated with Hamas.
Schostak said Aisen pushed him to his limits after contacting his kids’ school.
“Everyone said you’re an elected official; it comes with the territory,” Schostak said in a 2023 interview with WDIV-TV. But, he added: “When he went to my family and my children through their school, that’s when I went to police.”
Schostak also said: “The level and temperature of our discourse in this country has gone off the charts.” And while it’s OK to disagree with one another, he said, “we should be able to do it in a way that’s civil, respectful, and courteous.”
Aisen’s attorney was not readily available for comment. Aisen has been jailed since his 2023 arrest and could be released soon given how long he has been locked up. He faces up to four years in prison and/or a $5,000 fine on the computer conviction; and up to two years in prison and/or a $5,000 fine on the posting unlawful messages conviction.
Contact Tresa Baldas: tbaldas@freepress.com
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Man convicted of making up ‘disgusting’ crime about Bloomfield Twp. official
Reporting by Tresa Baldas, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
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