A Florida man, Frederick Eugene Pierallini III, 27, has been sentenced to 60 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for committing two federal hate crimes by attacking two Black women with a gun. Pierallini had previously pleaded guilty to these crimes on July 6, 2023.

Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division stated, “The defendant is being held accountable for targeting two Black women with a gun on two separate days because of their race.”

U.S. Attorney Roger Handberg for the Middle District of Florida condemned the violent assaults, saying, “There is no place in our society for such heinous acts. We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to aggressively investigate and prosecute individuals who target individuals and communities because of their race, ethnicity or beliefs.”

Assistant Director Michael D. Nordwall of the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division emphasized the impact of hate crimes, stating, “Hate crimes like these are not only attacks on the victims but are meant to threaten and intimidate an entire community.”

Court documents revealed that Pierallini intimidated the victims and interfered with their federally protected activities using force or threats because of their race and color. The first incident occurred on Sept. 10, 2022, at a convenience store in Jacksonville, Florida, where Pierallini pointed a shotgun at Victim 1 after directing racial slurs at her. Two days later, on Sept. 12, 2022, Pierallini approached Victim 2 on a public sidewalk, fired a shot, but the victim was not hit.

The FBI Jacksonville Field Office and Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office conducted the investigation, while Assistant U.S. Attorney Ashley Washington and Trial Attorney Anna Gotfryd of the Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section prosecuted the case.