FLORIDA
A 40-year-old self-professed anti-Semite plead guilty Wednesday to a federal hate crime for attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction on a synagogue in Aventura, Florida, officials announced.
James Gonzalo Medina, 40, pleaded guilty today to a federal hate crime for attempting to attack an Aventura, Florida synagogue, and to a charge of attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction, officials said.
If convicted, Medina faces a maximum sentence of life in prison.
During the plea proceedings, Medina admitted that in March and April 2016, he planned to conduct a firearms or explosives attack on the Aventura Turnberry Jewish Center. Medina took steps to prepare for this attack including conducting surveillance of the Jewish Center. On April 29, 2016, Medina took possession of what he believed to be an explosive device, obtained from a Southern Florida Joint Terrorism Task Force agent, and approached the Jewish Center on foot with the device in hand, intending to commit the attack.
On April 29, 2016, Medina took possession of what he believed to be an explosive device, obtained from a Southern Florida Joint Terrorism Task Force agent, and approached the Jewish Center on foot with the device in hand, intending to commit the attack.
“Acts of bigotry and hatred are evil and have no place in our society,” Attorney General Jeff Sessions said. “One of the top priorities of this Department of Justice is reducing violent crime, and you can be sure that this includes hate crime. We will not tolerate this repugnant lawlessness, and we will be vigilant in prosecuting hate crime offenders to the fullest extent of the law.”
James Gonzalo Medina, 40, of Hollywood, Florida
Medina, 40, is from Hollywood, Florida.
According to the allegations, this is what happened:
In March 2016, Medina came to the attention of the FBI due to his conversations about attacking a synagogue in South Florida
The FBI was able to gauge Medina’s interest in the plot and collect evidence through the use of a confidential inforrmant.
Medina expressed anti-Semitic views and identified to the informant the target of his attack, a Jewish synagogue in Aventura.
The complaint further alleges that Medina wanted to use an explosive device to commit the attack and engaged the CHS and an undercover FBI employee about the details of his planned criminal conduct.
In preparation for the proposed attack, Medina studied the synagogue property to assess its vulnerabilities.
According to the criminal complaint, this is part of a conversation that took place between Medina and the informant:
Confidential Informant: You know, you know what Yom Kippur is?
Medina : Yom Kippur? I heard of that
Informant: Yeah, uh, it’s like a Jewish holiday. It’s in two weeks.
Medina: Hmmm. Well,–
Informant: [OV] But.
Medina: –now that’ll be a good day to go and bomb them …
On April 29, 2016, Medina took possession of an inert explosive device and was arrested while approaching the synagogue. Medina was under FBI surveillance and, once the FBI became involved, it worked to effectively mitigate any danger posed to the public.