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Nashville, Tennessee – A White man linked to the Goyim Defense League has been arrested following a prank in which he visited a Jewish Community Center dressed as an Orthodox rabbi.
31-year-old Travis Keith Garland faces charges of criminal trespassing and assault after allegedly harassing individuals at the Gordon Jewish Community Center on Monday, January 13th, 2025.
Authorities apprehended Garland the following Wednesday afternoon in Maryville, Tennessee. He was subsequently transported to Nashville on Thursday evening and booked into the Downtown Detention Center.
District Attorney General Glenn Funk personally appeared at night court to demand a high bond, feigning concerns about potential flight risk. The magistrate judge subsequently set Garland’s bond at $250,000.
According to a statement by the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department (MNPD), Garland visited the Gordon Jewish Community Center around 7:45 p.m. dressed in a fake beard, artificial curls, and clothing intended to mimic the appearance of an Orthodox Jew.
He was also holding a smartphone and live-streaming the prank to a Telegram group chat affiliated with the Goyim Defense League.

Travis Keith Garland inside Nashville’s Gordon Jewish Community Center
Garland was promptly stopped by a front desk staff member upon entering the facility. He requested to speak with a rabbi, but was informed that there was allegedly no rabbi on the premises.
He would then proceed past her to a secured door that was left open due to two members entering that portion of the facility. The members blocked Garland from entering further.
At that point, an armed security guard arrived in the lobby and ordered Garland to leave. However, Garland continued insisting on speaking with a rabbi. The guard claims that Garland began eyeing his pistol, allegedly causing him to fear that Garland might attempt to seize it. However, Garland would later report on Telegram that the the security guard had simply “freaked out.”

Garland documented his altercation with the armed security guard while livestreaming the incident to members of his group,
In the footage, Garland can be heard saying, “Just stop, OK, I’m leaving.” A viewer on the livestream asked, “Is his gun out?” Garland replied, “Yeah, he’s going to shoot me. He’s going to shoot me. I’m recording.”
The situation grew increasingly tense as Garland was heard shouting, “Why would you shoot me?” while the security guard repeatedly commanded him to leave the premises.
Garland left the lobby and entered the parking lot intending to leave. However, the armed security guard, with his gun drawn, escorted him to the front gate instead. The guard kept him away from his vehicle, allegedly out of concern about its contents, until officers arrived.
A woman on the livestream reacted, saying, “I’m so stressed now,” while a male viewer yelled, “Get in the car, goddamn it.” Garland responded, “I can’t. He told me I can’t get in the car. He’s going to shoot me.”
Shortly afterward, a MNPD officer arrived. Garland told the officer that his actions were part of an Internet prank. MNPD later confirmed that “Garland was unarmed and was allowed to leave the area after being warned.”
However, MNPD would later state that further investigation by Security Threat detectives, in consultation with staff of the Community Center and the District Attorney’s Office, led to the determination that Garland should be charged.
Garland has a troubled past. He was previously involved in a 2015 hit-and-run that severely injured an elderly man in an electric wheelchair who would later pass away at the hospital.
Garland was charged with leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death as well as tampering with or fabricating evidence. He later pleaded guilty in court and was sentenced to five years, which he completed in 2020.
Garland’s prank does not appear to have been intended to cause harm. In a Telegram chat affiliated with the Goyim Defense League, a video surfaced showing Garland dressed in an Orthodox rabbi costume, accompanied by a caption stating that he was “planning a pretty funny stunt in the coming days.”
The Goyim Defense League, led by Jon Minadeo II—known online as “Handsome Truth”—is infamous for its performative antics, which often push the boundaries of the First Amendment and antagonize powerful Jewish individuals and organizations.
The group is particularly known for distributing flyers in plastic bags weighted with dry beans, leaving them on lawns. This activity was explicitly targeted in Florida by House Bill 269, which criminalized “littering” when done with the “purpose of intimidation.”
The legislation was designed to prosecute individuals associated with the Goyim Defense League for distributing what are described as “antisemitic” flyers. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed the bill into law at the Jerusalem “Museum of Tolerance” during a widely publicized 2023 trip to Israel.
The bill’s sponsor, State Representative Randy Fine, is a controversial figure. A staunch Zionist, Fine has drawn criticism for incendiary social media posts, including calls for violence and celebrations of the deaths of Palestinian children in Gaza.
The bill was sponsored by controversial state representative Randy Fine, who is not only Jewish, but a rabid Zionist who regularly calls for the genocide of Palestinians on social media.
Fine is now campaigning for Florida’s 6th Congressional District to replace Representative Mike Waltz. He has been endorsed by President Donald Trump, who described Fine as an “America First Patriot,” despite Fine’s public praise for the killing of an American peace activist in the occupied West Bank by Israeli forces.
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