NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — A neo-Nazi figure suddenly discovered during his own livestream Wednesday night that he was being sued for violating the civil rights of members of Nashville's Jewish community, leaving the normally bellicose character stunned and searching for words.
Jon Minadeo, 42, of Springfield, Missouri, learned about the federal lawsuit as he played back a report posted by NewsChannel 5 earlier in the evening. That report referenced a lawsuit filed by the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) against Minadeo and his Goyim Defense League (GDL). It is the second such lawsuit filed by the civil rights group.
Minadeo stumbled around for about eight minutes, even going off camera at one point while the song "Bad Company" played, as he tried to process the news.
"What?" Minadeo asked. "Two lawsuits? Wow. Two lawsuits, huh? That's wild. Two lawsuits? I wasn't even, I wasn't even there. What are you talking about? What the f--- is going on here? That is wild. That is wild."
Watch below:
WATCH: This is the moment neo-Nazi Jon Minadeo learns during his own livestream that he was being sued for violating the civil rights of members of Nashville's Jewish community, leaving the normally bellicose character stunned and searching for words. (Details in link below.) pic.twitter.com/aKatZ49vpR
— Phil Williams (@PhilNvestigates) December 13, 2025
Asked for an explanation by someone in the chat accompanying Minadeo's livestream, the GDL founder replied: ""I have no idea. I have no idea. News to me, news to me. No idea."
Related: Neo-Nazi org scrambling after being de-platformed, civil rights lawyer applauds shutdown
The latest lawsuit was filed earlier in the day Wednesday by the SPLC on behalf of Nashville's Gordon Jewish Community Center (NGJCC) in response to a January 2025 incident in which GDL member Travis Keith Garland entered the facility wearing a Halloween costume that was supposed to represent an Orthodox Jew.
According to the lawsuit, the center "was locked and about to close when Garland arrived, but he managed to gain entry by appearing in his disguise in order to get buzzed in by the receptionist." Garland demanded to see a rabbi and despite being told none was present, he "walked past the front desk and attempted to enter through another secured door."
Garland had to be forced off the property at gunpoint by a NGJCC security guard.
The lawsuit also alleges that Garland was egged on by Minadeo and another prominent GDL figure, Paul Miller, who goes by the name "Gypsy Crusader." Ironically, Minadeo and Miller are now engaged in a bitter feud.
During his livestream Wednesday night, Minadeo tried to move on to other subjects before returning to the news of the newly filed lawsuit.
"Now, I'm thinking, like, how the f--k am I involved with the second lawsuit? This is like insanity, right? How do you drag me into another f--king lawsuit?"
Minadeo and the Goyim Defense League were named in a lawsuit filed earlier in the year on behalf of an interracial man assaulted by GDL members during what the SPLC has called an "intimidation tour" in Nashville in July 2024.
“Using fear and harassment to threaten and intimidate groups is a despicable act that cannot be tolerated in a multicultural society,” SPLC deputy legal director Scott McCoy said in a news release.
As explained by the Southern Poverty Law Center, "GDL is an association of antisemitic white supremacists whose mission, according to statements by the group’s founder, includes 'expelling' all Jewish and Black people from the United States. The group’s ideologies overlap significantly with those of other racist, antisemitic groups and neo-Nazi members who peddle similar 'great replacement theory' rhetoric."
A federal judge recently rejected a motion to dismiss the first lawsuit, allowing the SPLC to proceed with discovery in the case.
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