Claims and counter-claims in US case

A stand-up has ended up behind bars after a verbal clash at a comedy club escalated into criminal charges.

American comic Anthony Krayenhagen has pleaded not guilty to making threats against a public official, but at a hearing this week he was told he must remain in jail until his case is heard, or he can post $750,000 bail.

The case stems from an incident during a show at the Che'root Lounge in Modesto, California, in September.

CBS News in Sacramento reports that Krayenhagen – who performs as Anthony K – called out a group of people in the audience for being too loud during his set. The party included Channce Condit, a supervisor for Stanislaus County, similar to a city councillor.

Condit’s group at the venue – a cigar bar called Che’root – also included Motec Sanchez, owner of a local news website called 209 Times (209 is the area phone code for Modesto), who subsequently used his platform to allege the comedian was racist.

Condit and Sanchez are said to have returned to the venue the following day to complain to the owners about Krayenhagen's behaviour, demanding he be sacked and the comedy night be axed – but to no avail.

The Cabal – a rival outlet to 209 Times –  has posted video of the comedy night and the subsequent meeting on Facebook, and cast doubt on Sanchez’s allegations of racism.

According to court documents cited by CBS, Condit alleges he received a message from 38-year-old Krayenhagen on Facebook that said ‘Wassup? Is there still an issue?’ – prompting him to phone the comic. In that call, Krayenhagen is said to have unleashed obscenities and told the official he was ‘green lit’, taken to be slang that a hit was out on him.

The same court documents say that police are treating the case as a ‘serious threat’ because of  ‘the contemporary culture of mass casualty attacks… and political figure assassinations in the US.’

According to anonymous friends who set up a crowdfunder to help pay Krayenhagen’s legal fees, he ‘is a working comedian with deep community ties, no violent history, and no involvement in gang activity. The charges brought against him do not reflect the person we know or the life he leads.’

They add: ‘The circumstances have escalated in a way that we feel appears disproportionate to the facts’ and point out that ‘rude, unkind speech does not constitute a criminal offense.’

Published: 27 Nov 2025