John Kevin Lapinski, Jr., a Margate resident whom authorities say maintained a “hit list” against Jewish and Black Americans including U.S. Rep. Jared Moskowitz, has been sentenced to 25 years in federal prison.
Lapinski, 41, “stockpiled weapons, tactical gear, and detailed attack plans to terrorize Jewish and Black Americans in our communities,” U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones of Miami said in a statement Friday.
“His intent was not abstract—it was written on his maps, his targets, and his so-called hit list,” South Florida’s top federal law enforcement officer added.
U.S. District Judge Rodney Smith handed down the sentence in federal court in Fort Lauderdale.
Moskowitz, who lives in Parkland and is a Democrat who represents Florida’s 23rd Congressional District, did not immediately issue a statement after Lapinski’s sentencing. But last November, as evidence of Lapinski’s arsenal and lists became public, he acknowledged the personal-safety vulnerabilities faced by elected government representatives.
“When we are here in D.C., Capitol Police do a great job,” Moskowitz said at the time. “But when we are in our districts, we are soft targets. This is something that is well-known among Democrats and Republicans.”
Lapinski, federal authorities said Friday, “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.”
More than 3,000 rounds discovered
The case unfolded on Oct. 31, 2024, when Margate Police “responded to a call of shots fired in a residential neighborhood,” the government said.
“Officers determined Lapinski—legally barred from possessing firearms—was the shooter,” the statement said. “Inside his residence, officers observed a shooting target depicting a Black male riddled with bullet holes. 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, a Ghillie suit, and tactical gear.”
Police 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. In addition to Moskowitz, the list included local synagogues, Jewish-owned businesses, and other religious and ethnically identified sites.”
Investigators also linked Lapinski to an August 2024 shooting “in which the home and vehicle of a Jewish resident were riddled with bullets.”
Reding Quiñones said Lapinski’s sentence should “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.”
The ATF, FBI and Margate Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Marc Anton led the prosecution effort.
Lapinski was represented by the Federal Public Defender’s Office.
