Federal prosecutors say a former campaign worker for Abdul El-Sayed was among 12 pro-Palestinian activists charged in an alleged campaign of intimidation targeting members of Michigan’s Jewish community.
Mariam Odeh, 24, was one of eight people named in the first round of indictments issued by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Michigan. Prosecutors allege the group threatened University of Michigan officials in an effort to pressure the school into ending its ties with Israel.
Four additional alleged co-conspirators were indicted Friday, bringing the total number of defendants to 12, according to federal prosecutors.
Odeh was charged in June over her alleged involvement in the case. That same month, The Detroit News reported that she had briefly worked for El-Sayed’s campaign for the Michigan Senate.
Campaign records obtained by the newspaper showed that Odeh received two payments from the campaign.
An El-Sayed campaign spokesperson confirmed to the outlet that Odeh had been hired as an hourly employee for about two weeks.
Odeh, who is from Dearborn, Michigan, left the campaign on April 15 after earning nearly $750, campaign spokesperson Roxie Richner told The Detroit News.
According to prosecutors, Odeh was part of a group that planned and carried out harassment and intimidation targeting university officials in an attempt to force the school to sever its relationship with Israel.
Federal authorities allege the group vandalized the homes of university board members, placed fake corpses on lawns and painted anti-Israel messages outside the home of the university’s president at the time.
Prosecutors also allege that members of the group broke windows and threw jars containing noxious chemicals into family homes. The alleged attacks were posted on social media alongside the warning, “you cannot hide,” according to the indictment.
Odeh was also accused of participating in the 2024 vandalism of a Rolls-Royce Solutions America, Inc. building in Detroit.
Prosecutors say the group, including Odeh, padlocked the building’s doors and spray-painted “FREE PALESTINE” and “LONG LIVE THE INTIFADA” on the sidewalk outside.
Odeh faces one count of conspiracy to transmit threats in interstate and foreign commerce. If convicted, she could receive up to five years in prison, The Detroit News reported.
The latest indictments accuse four additional defendants—two of whom are reportedly still at large—of threatening university leaders, law enforcement officers and businesses they viewed as connected to Israel, federal prosecutors said.
The El-Sayed campaign and attorneys representing Odeh did not respond to requests for comment by the time of publication.
