U.S. Rep Jared Moskowitz.
A Margate man who illegally stockpiled weapons, drafted a manifesto with antisemitic rhetoric, and kept attack plans containing numerous Jewish targets – including U.S. Rep. Jared Moskowitz – was sentenced Friday to 25 years in federal prison.
U.S. District Judge Rodney Smith sentenced John Kevin Lapinski, Jr., 41, to 300 months in prison in federal court in Miami. Lapinski had previously pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm as a convicted felon, possession of a firearm by a person subject to a court order, possession of an unregistered silencer, and possession of body armor by a violent felon.
Investigators said they had also linked Lapinski to an August 2024 shooting in which the home and vehicle of a local Jewish resident were riddled with bullets – a fact publicly announced for the first time Saturday.
The case against Lapinski began on October 31, 2024, when Margate Police responded to a call of shots fired in a residential neighborhood. Officers determined Lapinski — legally barred from possessing firearms— was the shooter.
John Lapinski {BSO}
Inside Lapinski’s home, officers found a shooting target depicting a Black man riddled with bullet holes, authorities said. A subsequent search uncovered an arsenal: five firearms, more than 3,000 rounds of ammunition, firearm parts and accessories, two silencers, body armor, smoke grenades, camouflage gear, and tactical gear.
Officers also found maps of local schools, parks, and other community sites scrawled with racial slurs targeting Black and Jewish people, as well as a “target list” naming “groups to attack” based on race and religion, according to prosecutors. The list included Moskowitz, local synagogues and Jewish schools, Jewish-owned businesses, a Jewish cemetery, “bar mitzvah halls,” Firefighters Park in Margate, and other religious and ethnically identified sites, according to prosecutors and court records.
Lapinski had prior felony convictions for grand theft and resisting an officer with violence in Lake County, authorities said.
“This defendant stockpiled weapons, tactical gear, and detailed attack plans to terrorize Jewish and Black Americans in our communities. His intent was not abstract—it was written on his maps, his targets, and his so-called hit list,” said Southern District of Florida U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones. “Let this sentence serve as a warning: hate-fueled violence will be met with decisive federal prosecution. We will disrupt your plans, seize your weapons, and ensure you never endanger the people of this District again.”
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