Thread by @egavactip

A lot of criminal incidents get written about initially, when people are arrested, but then more or less get forgotten about by the media.

I'd like to share with you details of one such incident, involving a man named John Lapinski, who is going to be sentenced sometime soon.

Mr. Lapinski was arrested at his home in November 2024 in Margate, Florida, after police responded to a call of shots being fired. Lapinski, a convicted felon, was not allowed to have weapons or ammo, but police found multiple guns & thousands of rounds of ammo.

Mr. Lapinski was eventually charged federally with several weapons violations. But law enforcement found more than the weapons. They also found disturbing racist and antisemitic materials, including a target list, which included the name of a local Jewish congressman.

One of the most disturbing items found was a large homemade shooting target that featured a racist drawing of a Black man holding a watermelon, with wording that included "We wuz retards n sheeeit." The target contained many bullet holes indicating it had been shot at.

Law enforcement also found a map of local schools and parks and other places that had been labeled with explicitly racist names that suggested Lapinski was thinking of attacking them.

The target list found by police (actually labeled "targets"!) included not only the congressman, but also "bar mitzvah halls," "Jewish cemetery," a synagogue, and other Jewish and non-Jewish targets. Note that one of the targets on the list is crossed out (more on that in a sec).

Law enforcement also found a list of "spic groups to attack," by which Lapinski seemed to mean groups that supported the rights of immigrants. It included the ACLU, the SPLC, Americans for Immigrant Justice, and the American Immigration Council.

Prosecutors have alleged that Lapinski's illegal firearms possession was "clearly motivated" by his "desire to conduct a racially or religiously motivated attack." Moreover, they presented evidence that Lapinski *already* had attacked one of the targets on his list.

Remember the crossed-out line on the target list? It read "ginger bitch house." Law enforcement found a different piece of writing dubbed "Operation Night Raid," with the words "Got em!!!" on it, and references to specific vehicles.

Investigation revealed that on August 21, 2024, someone had shot at vehicles matching the above descriptions at a nearby house. The owners were Jewish. Prosecutors: "Lapinski has shown a willingness not only to espouse hate, but has actually carried out his threats."

Lapinski pleaded guilty to the firearms charges in April. In July, because of what I've related above, prosecutors filed a request for an "upward variance" of his sentence, i.e., a sentence that is longer than what would be suggested by federal sentencing guidelines.

Prosecutors are asking for a 20-year sentence for Lapinski, calling his amassing of an arsenal and his subsequent targeting of racial & religious groups "appalling." I do not know what response, if any, Lapinski's defense attorney has made, or what the exact sentencing date is.