A Florida man who attacked two Black women with a gun in two federal hate crimes was sentenced Friday to 60 months in prison and three years of supervised release.
Frederick Eugene Pierallini III, 27, previously pleaded guilty to these crimes on July 6, 2023.
According to court documents, Pierallini willfully used “force or a threat of force” because of their race and color. Victim 1 was working, and Victim 2 was in public.
According to the Department of Justice, Pierallini went to a convenience store in Jacksonville on Sept. 10, 2022.
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Victim 1 was working there as a clerk at the register.
Pierallini attempted to buy snacks at the register, but his card was declined. He then attempted to walk out of the store with unpaid merchandise.
Pierallini ultimately returned, scolding Victim 1 for not knowing how to do her job and directing racial slurs at her. Pierallini left the store, retrieved a shotgun from his car, pointed it at Victim 1, and cocked it by pulling the slide back to open the chamber and loaded a bullet into it.
Victim 1 ran away in fear. Pierallini continued to use racial slurs throughout the encounter.
Two days later, on Sept. 12, 2022, Pierallini approached Victim 2 as she was sitting in her walker on the public sidewalk.
He directed racial slurs at her and told her that she could not sit where she was.
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Pierallini also threatened to kill Victim 2. He then left, returned with a shotgun, and fired a single shot. Victim 2 sustained injuries when she fell to the ground in response, but Pierallini’s shot did not hit her.
“The defendant is being held accountable for targeting two Black women with a gun on two separate days because of their race,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “No one in this country should have to live in fear that when they use public spaces or work at their job, they risk attack by someone who hates them because of the color of their skin. The Justice Department is committed to protecting Black people from racially-motivated violence. We will continue to be relentless in investigating and prosecuting individuals who threaten or commit unlawful acts of hate.”
The FBI Jacksonville Field Office and Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office investigated the case.
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