Rep. Moskowitz Says Florida Police Arrested Former Felon Allegedly Plotting to Kill Him

Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-Fla.) listens during a House Oversight Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington on July 26, 2023. Drew Angerer/Getty Images

Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-Fla.) said on Friday that local police in his congressional district had notified him that an armed man believed to be plotting against his life had been arrested near his home.

Moskowitz, who reelected in the Nov. 5 election in Florida’s 23rd congressional district, said on X that he was alerted by the Margate Police Department about a possible threat to his life the day before the election.

Moskowitz said that a former felon was arrested not far from his residence and was found in possession of a rifle, a suppressor, and body armor.

The man was allegedly found with a manifesto containing anti-Semitic rhetoric and a target list that had Moskowitz’s name on it, according to Moskowitz. He said authorities are still investigating the case.

“There are many other details that I will not disclose as I do not want to interfere with an ongoing investigation,” the politician, who is Jewish, wrote on X.

The Margate Police Department confirmed to The Epoch Times that it arrested a 41-year-old Margate resident named John Lapinski on Nov. 2 for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and other firearms-related charges.

“During the investigation, our detectives located several firearms and evidence that indicated he may have been planning some type of criminal act,” the department said in a statement.

The Broward Sheriff’s Office, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and the FBI are assisting the Margate Police Department with the investigation, with the ATF being the leading agency, the department said.

Moskowitz expressed his gratitude to local law enforcement, the U.S. Marshals Service, the FBI, the U.S. Capitol Police, and the U.S. attorney’s office for their efforts.

He also emphasized the need to bolster protection for the country’s current and future leaders.

“At the same time, I am deeply worried about Congressional member security and the significant lack thereof when we are in the district,” he stated. “Regardless of our political affiliations or differences, we all have families we want to keep safe.”

Rep. Carlos Giménez (R-Fla.) condemned the alleged plot on Moskowitz’s life.

“Political violence has no place in our country. This violent anti-Semitic hate is despicable and must be confronted to the fullest extent of the law,” Giménez stated on X.

Moskowitz is one of the lawmakers appointed to a bipartisan task force investigating the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump in Pennsylvania on July 13.

On July 13, an assassin fired a rifle from a rooftop during a Trump rally in Pennsylvania, grazing Trump’s ear with a bullet. The shooter killed one spectator in that incident and injured two others before being fatally shot by law enforcement counter-snipers.

In September, a Hawaii man was charged with attempting to assassinate Trump at his golf club in West Palm Beach, Florida. FBI agents recovered a semiautomatic rifle with a scope attached and an extended magazine, according to court documents.

Update: This article has been updated to include comment from the Margate Police Department.