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Florida Rep. Jared Moskowitz says police investigating a “potential plot” against his life
Democratic Rep. Jared Moskowitz of Florida disclosed Friday that he was notified by authorities on Monday about a “potential plot on my life” by a convicted felon.
Moskowitz, who represents the 23rd Congressional District that includes portions of Palm Beach and Broward Counties, posted the allegation on X, which was later collaborated by police in Margate, a city located in the Miami metropolitan area.
The freshman congressman was elected to a second term on Tuesday.
CBS News Miami
John Lapinski, 41, of Margate, was arrested Oct. 31 at his home after police responded at about 6:30 a.m. to reports of shots fired. He was subsequently detained under the Baker Act and taken to Broward Health Imperial Point in Fort Lauderdale. He was then moved to the Broward County Jail in Fort Lauderdale on Nov. 2.
When arrested, Lapinski was also found to be in possession of several guns and ammunition, as well as body armor, police said.
He faces three firearms charges relating to a convicted felon and a domestic injunction.
“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 a news release.
The Margate Police Department contacted the Broward Sheriff’s Office, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the FBI to assist with the investigation. The ATF is currently the lead agency for this investigation, Margate police said.
Moskowitz claimed that Lapinski was arrested near his own home in Parkland.
“Found with him was a manifesto, among other things, included antisemitic rhetoric and only my name on the ‘target’ list,” Moskowitz, who is Jewish, wrote in his social media post. “There are many other details that I will not disclose as I do not want to interfere with an ongoing investigation.”
Lapinski has two prior felony convictions of resisting and officer with violence and grand theft in Lake County.
Moskowitz, 43, serves on the bipartisan House task force investigating the attempted assassination of President-elect Donald Trump on July 13 in Butler, Pennsylvania.
“I understand the failures and importance of fixing the protection of our current Commander-in-Chief and Vice President,” Moskowitz wrote. “At the same time I am deeply worried about congressional member security and the significant lack thereof when we are in the district. Regardless of our political affiliations or differences, we all have families we want to keep safe.”
On Tuesday, Moskowitz was elected to a second term, securing more than 52% of the vote against Republican challenger Joseph “Joe” Kaufman, which was a margin of about 17,500 votes.
Moskowitz has touted his ability to work with Republicans. He was elected to the House in 2020 after serving in the Broward County Commission in an appointment by Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.
Previously, he was Florida’s emergency operations manager under DeSantis, including during the pandemic. Before that, he was a Florida state representative from 2012 to 2019. His first election was in 2006 as a member of Parkland City Commission, which he served in until 2012.
Moskowitz has a law degree from Nova Southeastern University.
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A rare square 37-carat emerald owned by the Aga Khan fetched nearly $9 million at auction in Geneva on Tuesday, making it the world’s most expensive green stone.
Sold by Christie’s, the Cartier diamond and emerald brooch, which can also be worn as a pendant, dethrones a piece of jewelry made by the fashion house Bulgari, which Richard Burton gave as a wedding gift to fellow actor Elizabeth Taylor, as the most precious emerald.
In 1960, Prince Sadruddin Aga Khan commissioned Cartier to set the emerald in a brooch with 20 marquise-cut diamonds for British socialite Nina Dyer, to whom he was briefly married.
Dyer then auctioned off the emerald to raise money for animals in 1969.
FABRICE COFFRINI/AFP via Getty Images
By chance that was Christie’s very first such sale in Switzerland on the shores of Lake Geneva, with the emerald finding its way back to the 110th edition this year.
It was bought by jeweler Van Cleef & Arpels before passing a few years later into the hands of Harry Winston, nicknamed the “King of Diamonds.”
“Emeralds are hot right now, and this one ticks all the boxes,” said Christie’s EMEA Head of Jewellery Max Fawcett. “…We might see an emerald of this quality come up for sale once every five or six years.”
Also set with diamonds, the previous record-holder fetched $6.5 million at an auction of part of Hollywood legend Elizabeth Taylor’s renowned jewelry collection in New York.
Kraft Heinz is pulling Lunchables — prepackaged boxes of deli meat, cheese and crackers — from the program that provides free and discounted meals to about 30 million low-income school children, the food conglomerate said on Tuesday.
Consumer Reports applauded the move, months after the advocacy group sounded alarms about the product popular with kids, saying its tests found troubling levels of lead and sodium in them.
“Lunchables and other lunch kits with concerning levels of sodium and harmful chemicals have no place on the school lunch menu,” Brian Ronholm, director of food policy at Consumer Reports, stated on Tuesday. “We’re pleased that Heinz Kraft has pulled Lunchables from the school lunch program after lower than expected demand from school districts across the country.”
In an Oct. 30 earnings call, Kraft Heinz CEO Carlos Abrams-Rivera called Lunchables a “very important” part of the company’s business, while noting what he described as “misleading” negative publicity regarding the product.
Kraft Heinz changed two of its Lunchables — Turkey & Cheddar Cracker Stackers and Extra Cheesy Pizza Lunchables — to qualify for the USDA-run program. Sales of those two products were less than 1% of overall Lunchables sales, so the business impact is negligible, according to the company.
In a statement emailed to CBS MoneyWatch, Kraft Heinz said demand for Lunchables from school districts across the country did not meet its targets. “Lunchables products are not available in schools this year, and we hope to revisit at a future date,” the company said.