A Los Feliz man faces federal charges in an alleged plot to attack a Jewish preschool with Molotov cocktails.

The posts quoted in the complaint are ugly, and the government says it found a bottle with gasoline in the house. But federal threat cases turn on more than ugly words. Since the Supreme Court's 2023 Counterman decision, prosecutors have to show at least that he recklessly disregarded how his posts would be taken. His mother's account of mental illness and heavy drinking could matter at that stage.

Steven Carlos Duenas, 51, of the Los Feliz neighborhood of Los Angeles, faces federal charges after prosecutors say he made antisemitic threats on social media and planned a "mass incident" at JEMS Preschool, a Jewish early-childhood program, the New York Post reported Saturday, Oct. 17, 2026. Hoodline and CrownHeights.info also reported the case, citing the Post's account of the federal criminal complaint. JEMS is part of Chabad of Greater Los Feliz on Hollywood Boulevard and serves children as young as 18 months, Hoodline reported.

According to the complaint as described by the Post, Duenas posted on X on Sept. 19 a photo of what appeared to be a Molotov cocktail in front of a television showing the burning World Trade Center, along with a video of what appeared to be Molotov cocktail ingredients. Other posts attributed to him included "Not enough synagogues have been burned down" and a post saying he "might bomb Jems later," the Post reported. Prosecutors allege he possessed a combination of parts designed and intended to make a Molotov cocktail, and that agents found a glass bottle containing gasoline and fuel when they searched the home he shares with his mother around 4:30 a.m. Oct. 2. Hoodline and CrownHeights.info described the charges as relating to threatening online communications and possession of an illegal destructive device.

Duenas appeared in federal court shortly after his arrest, shackled and in tears, the Post reported. His mother, Maria Duenas, told the Post her son had struggled after a divorce and the loss of his job in social services with Los Angeles County, that he has bipolar disorder and other mental illness, and that she found large amounts of alcohol and prescription medication after his arrest. "It doesn't fit," she said of the allegations, adding that she hopes he gets treatment.

Duenas is expected back in court Nov. 10, according to the Post. No attack took place, and the allegations have not been tested in court. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.