South Florida Congressman Jared Moskowitz said in a statement Friday that a man who was recently arrested in South Florida had his name on a “target list” and that there was a “potential plot on (his) life.”
Lt. Michael Druzbik, a Margate Police spokesperson, said he could not confirm or release any details about any alleged specific threats to the congressman. But the department responded to a request for information about Moskowitz’s post with a release about the Nov. 2 arrest of John Lapinski, 41, of Margate.
There is no specific mention of a list or of Moskowitz in the probable cause affidavit for Lapinski’s arrest on firearm-related charges, including possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
“The day before the election, I was notified by Margate Police Department, located in my Congressional District, about a potential plot on my life,” Moskowitz said in a statement shared on X. “The individual in question was arrested not far from my home; he is a former felon who was in possession of a rifle, a suppressor, and body armor. Found with him was a manifesto that, among other things, included antisemitic rhetoric and only my name on the ‘target’ list.”
Margate officers were called on Oct. 31 after someone heard gunshots in a residential area, the affidavit said. Officers responded to a home in that area where they noticed an open door on one side of the home. A woman told officers that she and her brother, Lapinski, lived there.
Lapinski’s sister told officers she woke up that morning in her room because she heard what she believed were gunshots, the warrant said.
“Officers attempted contact with John via loudspeaker and phone calls but were unsuccessful for a period of time until John ultimately surrendered himself without further incident,” the affidavit said. “It was later determined that John met the criteria for a Baker Act and was later placed into protective custody.”
The state’s Baker Act allows authorities to commit a person to a mental health hospital for up to 72 hours.
After Lapinski was in custody, officers completed a “safety check” inside his home and found in a bedroom a black bag that could hold a long gun or rifle next to a bed, gun-cleaning equipment, a tall safe used to store long weapons and a “man-made target” made out of a bucket and a vertical wooden plank, the affidavit said. They found three small-caliber spent shell casings.
Officers then received a search warrant signed by a judge that same day and found six different guns in his home, the affidavit said, and a large stock of ammunition. He also had numerous pieces of equipment and firearm parts, “including silencers which appeared to be store bought as well as molded by the defendant.” He also had molds, which the affidavit said are used to make guns.
Lapinski was prohibited from possessing any guns because he was previously convicted of two felonies. He also has an active restraining order against him in a 2017 case, according to the affidavit.
“During the investigation, our detectives located several firearms and evidence that indicated he may have been planning some type of criminal act,” Margate Police said in their statement.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is the lead investigating agency, the news release said.
Moskowitz, a Democrat who represents parts of Broward and Palm Beach counties, won reelection Tuesday against Republican Joe Kaufman.
Moskowitz said in his statement he would not release additional details because of the active investigation.
A spokesperson for Moskowitz did not respond to an email late Friday.
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