Poetica Coffee, a Brooklyn coffee shop that publicly targeted Rep. Dan Goldman (D-N.Y.) over his support for Israel, is now facing a Department of Justice civil rights investigation.
The shop’s owner, Parviz Mukhamadkulov, an Uzbek immigrant, drew national attention after posting a hostile message directed at Goldman, a Jewish lawmaker.
The now-deleted post read: “Hey @repdangoldman, we see that you stopped by our shop today for a coffee. Do you see how it doesn’t taste like genocide juice?”
The post continued: “See, here at Poetica, we don’t serve racists, fascists, homophobes, genocide enablers, or anyone in between.”
Goldman was told in the post that a refund had been issued, with the shop adding: “We don’t need your money (it’s probably coming from AIPAC anyways). Enjoy your loss on Tuesday. Don’t ever come to Poetica.”
After significant public backlash, Poetica deleted its entire Instagram account, but the damage to the business extended well beyond the social media controversy.
According to a Washington Free Beacon report, as of June 20, 2026, Poetica Coffee and Mukhamadkulov owed New York state hundreds of thousands of dollars in unpaid taxes.
One of the company’s Brooklyn locations has also accumulated health code violations each year since 2023, with the most recent citations issued in June describing “filth flies” in food and non-food areas of the establishment.
The June violations also stated that the sewage disposal system was “not provided, improper, inadequate or unapproved,” and that personal cleanliness among staff was “inadequate.”
A December inspection found evidence of rats in both food and non-food areas of the establishment, compounding an already serious record of sanitary failures.
The shop has additionally been cited for failing to store pesticides and other toxic chemicals in a proper manner, adding to a lengthening list of regulatory concerns facing the business.
Federal Election Commission records show Mukhamadkulov contributed $35 to Maine Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner’s campaign, a race that has itself been overshadowed by separate controversies, including reports of a Nazi-linked tattoo on Platner’s chest.
Mukhamadkulov, who shared far-left content on his X account, deleted that account on Tuesday, though several posts were archived by the Washington Free Beacon before the deletion.
In one archived post from October 2025, he boasted about voting for New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, writing: “Just went to vote for him. All for you babes. He will be NYC mayor and you and all your likes cant do s— about it. Racist piece of s—.”
In July 2025, Mukhamadkulov celebrated the death of an Israel Defense Forces combat engineer, writing: “One less baby killer.”
He has also been documented blaming Israel for the September 11 attacks, describing Israel as a “Nazi nation,” and repeatedly accusing the country of “genocide.”
Poetica did not return a request for comment, and Fox News Digital left voicemails on two phone numbers associated with Mukhamadkulov, neither of which received a response.
Goldman also did not return a request for comment on the matter.
