State Attorney Dave Aronberg announced that a Maryland man who threw antisemitic materials at homes in our community was convicted of three criminal charges. This is one of the first successful prosecutions anywhere stemming from these offensive acts.

Nicholas Bysheim, 33, pleaded guilty Tuesday to a charge of resisting an officer without violence from a January incident in the city of Atlantis, as well as misdemeanor charges of dumping of litter and attempting to commit dumping of litter from March incidents in West Palm Beach.

Rather than stand trial, Bysheim opted to plead guilty and let the court decide his punishment. He was sentenced to 12 months of probation and adjudicated guilty. The State Attorney’s Office sought a punishment of 364 days in Palm Beach County Jail. If Bysheim is charged with littering or any law violations during probation, he could face up to a year behind bars here.

In the Atlantis case, Bysheim refused to provide identification when officers tried to issue a littering citation. Florida law allows police to detain individuals for the purpose of obtaining IDs to write citations. The West Palm Beach cases were misdemeanors, rather than noncriminal infractions, because the total weight of the littered bags exceeded 15 pounds.

“This individual came into our community to incite hatred against the Jewish community,” Aronberg said. “Anyone who disseminates hate here will be held accountable.”

The office continues to prosecute four others in the littering cases.