In an April 18th, 2020 livestream, Minadeo wears a mask popular with violent white supremacist groups and tells his viewers that COVID-19 is hoax, declaring “If I choose to do anything out of line or do something troublesome I’ll put this mask on. Not for germs.”
Northern California Anti-Racist Action (NoCARA) monitors local far-right activism and movements with the intention of protecting our communities and disrupting far-right organizing efforts. The following report shares details on Jon Minadeo, an anti-Semitic white supremacist based in Northern California who has genocidal fantasies, and has been working to organize other white supremacists to harass Jewish people both in the streets and on the internet. Minadeo has routinely participated in small-scale anti-Semitic activism as well as used the internet to spread white supremacist content while networking with fellow travelers. Minadeo’s efforts to establish and grow a following around the United States combined with his calls for friends and supporters to follow him in harassing Jewish people make Minadeo a threat that NoCARA believes should be taken seriously.
Jon Minadeo, a 37 year old Petaluma resident who operates the organization Goyim Defense League (GDL) under the pseudonym “The Handsome Truth,” has been engaging in anti-Semitic activities around Northern California for years. Originally attracted to conspiracy theories as a result of his relationship to his uncle, Minadeo eventually gravitated towards white supremacist conspiracies about Jews after finding Infowars and continuing to slide even further right from the thinly veiled anti-Semitism of Alex Jones to full-on explicit holocaust denial. Before finding a way to collect cash selling clothing on the GDL’s webstore, Minadeo tried his hand and failed at both being an actor and being a rapper (as “Shoobie Da Wop”). Now further along his downward spiral, Minadeo attributes his personal failures to a conspiracy of Jews who he asserts are pursuing an anti-European agenda and have complete control of the American media.
Jon Minadeo posts a video to social media depicting him harassing people he believes to be Jewish while driving, using the German “Juden” in the video title
Minadeo’s local activities are pathetic and sad, centering predominately around flyering and driving cars decorated with provocative slogans and messages denying the Holocaust. He engages in ridiculous public stunts, such as performing anti-Semitic caricatures dressed as a rabbi, which serve to remind us all why he really never made it as an actor. Minadeo’s flyers have appeared at several locations around his local area, including San Marin High School in Novato, where they caught the attention of local police at the time.
Jon Minadeo posting up flyers that falsely blame Jews for 9/11
The internet has provided Jon Minadeo with a number of platforms to reach others and distribute propaganda, mostly in the form of tired conspiracies on ugly posters and flyers. Despite being banned from popular sites such as YouTube, Minadeo still enjoys attention and garners video views on more obscure hosts. Minadeo refers to himself online as “The Handsome Truth” and leads the group Goyim Defense League. Using a Jewish term for non-Jews and playing off of the name of the far-right Jewish Defense League, Minadeo created the GDL to attract equally anti-Semitic followers and share his incoherent ramblings. Trademarks have been filed for Handsome Truth and Goyim Defense League under Minadeo’s name, and he profits from merchandise sold under that brand. In 2018 the GDL was responsible for a “prank” in which the website Cameo was used to purchase personalized messages from celebrities which featured them reciting anti-Semitic dog whistles. His GDL website prominently features adulation of Adolf Hitler, the Third Reich, assorted Nazi officers and various prominent fascists throughout history, and is littered with the same delusional obsessions with “Jewish global domination” and “Zionist occupied government” that commonly appear on white nationalist propaganda sites. Numerous times he flirts with genocidal images and quotes, eventually advocating for genocide himself.
In his “Honest Rabbi” video, Jon Minadeo shows off his shirt design featuring an anti-Semitic message that refers to calling out supposed “Jewish supremacy”
While much of his activity is carried out in relative seclusion, Minadeo has also taken advantage of the internet to connect and network with supporters who share his views. The radical and violent white supremacists that Jon Minadeo has chosen to associate with eliminate all doubt concerning his motives and ambitions. The effort he puts into his activism and the lengths to which he has gone to act in concert with others elevates Minadeo from a random bigot to a dangerous individual who is actively organizing to do harm.
May 13, 2018 video by Jon Minadeo employs anti-Semitic language and support for white nationalist senate candidate Patrick Little
In 2018 Minadeo threw his support behind Patrick Little, an avowed anti-Semite and alt-right/white nationalist politician campaigning at the time to represent California in the US Senate and to “make America free of Jews.” He lost the election but this didn’t prevent him from having an influence on his following. Shortly after Robert Bowers attacked the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh, PA on October 27, 2018 killing 11 people and injuring 6 more, it came to light that Patrick Little was one of the last people to communicate with Bowers on the alt-right Twitter knock-off platform known as Gab. Aside from assisting Little’s political campaign, Minadeo made at least one trip from Petaluma to Albany to meet with Little and ex-Identity Evropa member “Chad Turner” (real name Lucas Huston).
Patrick Little and Jon Minadeo together in Albany, CA late 2018 looking for what they called “a pack of Jews” to harass from inside the car
Patrick Little (left) and ex-Indentity Evropa member “Chad Turner” (real name Lucas Huston)
Taking inspiration from Patrick Little, Jon Minadeo was joined by Joey Bounds of Colorado in the fall of 2019 for a “Name the Nose” tour in San Diego and Los Angeles. Minadeo followed this up with a trip to Colorado to visit Bounds and a group of white supremacists. Live streams from the trip show them writing anti-Semitic graffiti on their rental van, yelling at innocent people through a megaphone, and handing out Holocaust denial flyers in Denver, Boulder, and Fort Collins. This shows the danger that an online group of far-right conspiracy theorists represents, as even this ostensibly small group can take their politics from the internet to the streets and be emboldened to harass and attack anyone who they decide are targets.
Goyim Defense League member Joey Bounds (left) and Jon Minadeo at a restaurant harassing a waiter (photo credit Colorado Springs Antifa)
Jon Minadeo with Joey Bounds and others in Colorado (photo credit Colorado Springs Antifa)
Jon Minadeo and two supporters attended a right wing protest in Sacramento together on May 1 against the state’s measures to combat the spread of COVID-19. This was the second in what has now become a series of right wing gatherings and protests at the capital. Since the outbreak of the pandemic, Minadeo has downplayed the significance of the impact the virus has had, even referring to it as a “hoax” or “the Jew flu.” During the protest, the group recorded themselves handing out flyers containing anti-Semitic content and taunting event speakers to get them to talk about Jews. At one point, Minadeo harassed a Jewish woman who attended the event and expressed objection to his flyers. The confrontation ended with Minadeo yelling at her and calling her a “Jewish witch.” Minadeo’s videographer at multiple times told others at the protest that the Holocaust was a lie, while Minadeo himself stated “if people knew the truth about Hitler he would go down as one of the greatest men ever,” and yelled at the police protecting the capital telling them they all “work for Z.O.G.” The “Zionist Occupied Government” term has been a staple in white supremacist discourse for decades. The most alarming statement came from the team’s assesment of their action of the day, with the videographer observing that “this is the most receptive crowd I’ve ever seen in my life.” Indeed, many of those that Minadeo engaged with in the streets of Sacramento were receptive to his ideas, and some even expressed prior knowledge of and acceptance of the poison Minadeo was spreading.
Jon Minadeo driving himself and supporters to Sacramento on May 1, 2020
Jon Minadeo talking to a group of Proud Boys while passing out flyers on May 1, 2020
Jon Minadeo is a threat to Jewish people in Northern California and elsewhere. His bigoted, hateful worldview and rhetoric, his dangerous escalation in street activism and his efforts to build networks and encourage others to follow in his footsteps represent a threat that can and will become dangerous without intervention. For these reasons, the information provided here can be used as a tool for community defense and should be shared widely.
Triplex that includes Jon Minadeo’s unit (104 High St. Petaluma, CA 94952)
Jon Minadeo in open garage of his unit, 104 High St. Petaluma, CA 94952
Name: Jon Eugene Minadeo II
Born: December 15, 1982
Current address: 104 High St. Petaluma, CA 94952
Social Media:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gary.loaninberg.9
VK: https://vk.com/id568815430
VK: https://vk.com/id565670717
If you have any information on Jon Minadeo, the Goyim Defense League, or other white nationalists in Northern California, you can reach us at nocara @ riseup.net
Thank you to Colorado Springs Antifa, who provided information used in this article.
