Threats Against Owings Mills Synagogue Lead To Federal Charges

BALTIMORE, MD — A man has been indicted on federal charges related to phone calls made to a Maryland synagogue. Authorities allege he threatened to kill members of an Owings Mills synagogue and burn down the building.

Stephen Lyle Orback, 65, was indicted on federal charges of intentionally attempting to obstruct people from exercising their religious beliefs through the threatened use of force and threatening communications.

Orback is accused of threatening to kill members of an Owings Mills synagogue using firearms and explosives and by burning the synagogue down, according to the federal indictment. He made the threats by calling an employee of the synagogue by phone, officials allege.

A grand jury charged him with the federal offenses Thursday, according to the U.S. District Attorney of Maryland. The indictment supersedes another one that was issued in August that only charged him with making threatening phone calls.

Prosecutors say Orback called the synagogue employee and made the threats from May 12 to July 21, 2019.

Orback faces up to 20 years in federal prison for intentionally obstructing people from exercising their right to exercise their religious beliefs through the threatened use of force and up to five years for making threatening communications/phone calls.