For synagogue terror plot, Florida man inspired by ISIS faces 25 years in prison

A Hollywood man accused of trying to blow up an Aventura synagogue pleaded guilty in federal court Wednesday and now faces a potential prison sentence of up to 25 years.

James Gonzalo Medina, 41, was arrested in April of last year on a charge of attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction against the Aventura Turnberry Jewish Center during Passover services. The actual bomb — sold to him in Hallandale Beach by an FBI undercover operative just before the planned terror attack — was a dummy, authorities said.

Medina, who has mental health problems but was found competent by a judge to stand trial, was also charged with a hate crime, attempting to damage religious property.

During Wednesday's hearing in Miami, Medina seemed reluctant to accept responsibility for the planned synagogue terror attack, suggesting he was “manipulated” by a federal confidential informant and an FBI undercover employee. But when questioned repeatedly by U.S. District Judge Robert Scola, Medina admitted he was guilty of plotting the bombing to kill innocent Jewish people — with the goal of publicizing the deadly attack to give credit to the terrorist group ISIS.

“Yes, I'm guilty, I'm guilty,” Medina told the judge, who then asked him again if he wanted to plead guilty. “Yes,” he said.

Medina pleaded guilty to the two charges in his indictment, but in doing so avoided a possible maximum sentence of life in prison. Under the terms of a plea agreement, federal prosecutors Marc Anton and Michael Thakur and public defenders Hector Dopico and Eric Cohen jointly recommended a maximum prison term of 25 years.

Under a side agreement, prosecutors also said they would not oppose the defense's option to request that Medina be sentenced to a prison with a mental health facility for a life term so he could receive treatment for his schizophrenia and bipolar conditions. But after receiving that treatment, Medina could be transferred back to a regular prison and would only serve up to 25 years in total, according to the agreement.

His sentencing is scheduled for Nov. 17 before Judge Scola.

At Wednesday’s hearing, Medina told the judge that he preferred the option of getting treatment in a prison with a mental health facility. “I do need to be sent to a mental institute,” he said. “I have been Baker-Acted before, so I'm willing to take the offer.”

During the undercover investigation in spring of last year, a federal confidential informant met with Medina and two of his associates and discussed the attack plan on the synagogue at 20400 NE 30th Ave. for the first time, according to a plea statement and a previous FBI affidavit. In April 2016, Medina talked about the timing of the assault with the FBI informant, suggesting it could be carried out on the Jewish holiday, Yom Kippur — not realizing the upcoming holiday was Passover, the documents said.

Medina’s response: “That’ll be a good day to go and bomb them.”

One of Medina’s associates informed the FBI informant that Medina was planning to martyr himself in a firearms attack on the Aventura synagogue, using AK-47 assault rifles. Then, the conversation turned to claiming responsibility for it. Medina said he liked the source’s idea of using the name of a notorious terrorist group — ISIS — to assume responsibility.

“You can, you can do all that,” Medina told the source, who recorded their conversation. “Yeah, we can print up or something and make it look like it’s ISIS here in America. Just like that.”

Soon after, the plot shifted to setting off explosives remotely instead of attacking the synagogue in an assault-weapons raid. Medina conducted surveillance with the FBI informant.

Medina, who told the informant he had converted to Islam four years ago, said the planned synagogue attack would inspire other Muslims. Medina would later express his “current hatred for the Jewish people.”

An FBI undercover employee introduced to Medina questioned him about his resolve to carry out the deadly plot and sold him an “inert” bomb at the end of the undercover operation.

“You’re sure this is something you want to do?” the employee asked. Medina answered: “I feel like it’s my calling,” adding he was “comfortable” with killing innocent women and children.

Medina was portrayed in his factual statement and the previous FBI affidavit as being anti-Semitic, and that his hatred for Jews was a critical factor in his motivation to carry out the alleged deadly plot on the synagogue, authorities said. Medina, however, was not directed by a foreign terrorist organization such as ISIS to carry out the planned bombing attack.

Before his arrest last year, Medina made three videos with his cellphone: In the first, he was recorded saying, “Aventura, watch your back. ISIS is in the house.” In the second, he said, “Today is gonna be a day where Muslims attack America. I’m going to set a bomb in Aventura.” And in the third, he said his good-byes to his family.

This story was originally published August 16, 2017 at 1:35 PM with the headline "For synagogue terror plot, Florida man inspired by ISIS faces 25 years in prison."