A Florida man faces federal hate crime and firearm charges after allegedly attempting a mass shooting targeting Jewish victims because of their race and religion at a pro-Israel lobbying organization, according to a Justice Department announcement.
A federal grand jury in the Southern District of Florida indicted Forrest Kendall Pemberton, 27, of Gainesville, on charges of attempted hate crime, using and carrying a firearm during a crime of violence, and possession of a short-barreled rifle, court records show.
Prosecutors allege that on Dec. 23, 2024, Pemberton armed himself with an AR-15-style rifle equipped with a silencer and traveled to the office of a nonprofit organization dedicated to lobbying the U.S. government in support of Israel. He allegedly attempted to carry out a mass shooting targeting the organization’s employees because they were Jewish, according to court records.
If convicted, Pemberton faces a maximum penalty of life in prison on the attempted hate crime count, a mandatory consecutive sentence of up to 30 years in prison on the firearm charge, and a maximum of five years on the possession count, prosecutors said.
The case was announced by Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida, and Special Agent in Charge Jason Carley of the FBI Jacksonville Field Office.
The FBI Jacksonville Field Office is leading the investigation, with assistance from FBI Miami, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Miami Field Office, the Gainesville Police Department, and the Tallahassee Police Department, the Justice Department said.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Abbie D. Waxman of the National Security Division for the Southern District of Florida and Special Litigation Counsel Christopher J. Perras and Trial Attorney Manpreet “Monica” Uppal-Gupta of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division are prosecuting the case.
As is standard in federal prosecutions, the indictment constitutes an allegation only, and Pemberton is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
This article was constructed with the assistance of artificial intelligence and published by a member of The Washington Times' AI News Desk team. The contents of this report are based solely on The Washington Times' original reporting, wire services, and/or other sources cited within the report. For more information, please read our AI policy or contact Steve Fink, Director of Artificial Intelligence, at sfink@washingtontimes.com
The Washington Times AI Ethics Newsroom Committee can be reached at aispotlight@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.