A Bronx man already serving a federal residential reentry-center sentence is now facing a new federal hate-crime charge after prosecutors say he attacked a gay man outside a neighborhood deli, according to an indictment unsealed Thursday by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York.
Prosecutors said in a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York that 31-year-old Shorai Moore has been hit with one count of committing a hate crime, a charge that carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison. Moore was living at a Federal Bureau of Prisons residential reentry center in the Bronx on April 1 when he allegedly shouted anti-gay slurs outside a local deli, then struck the victim with his fist, a recycling bin and a plastic crate. Moore was arrested Thursday and scheduled to be presented before U.S. Magistrate Judge Valerie Figueredo, and the case is assigned to U.S. District Judge Richard M. Berman.
"All New Yorkers deserve to live in their communities free from hate-fueled violence," U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton said in the release, which also credited federal and local partners for their work on the case. FBI Assistant Director in Charge James C. Barnacle, Jr., and NYPD Commissioner Jessica S. Tisch likewise condemned bias-motivated violence and thanked investigators for bringing the case forward.
What Prosecutors Allege
According to the indictment and other public filings, Moore was outside a Bronx deli on April 1 when he began yelling anti-gay slurs at people in the area, including saying that gay people should "get off the block." Prosecutors say he then turned those words into action, repeatedly striking a man and using a recycling bin and a plastic crate during the assault. The indictment, detailing the alleged hate-motivated attack, was unsealed Thursday after Moore’s arrest.
Federal Charge And Potential Penalty
Moore is charged under the federal hate-crime statute enacted as part of the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, codified at 18 U.S.C. § 249. For offenses involving bodily injury, that law generally authorizes a maximum sentence of up to 10 years in prison, with higher penalties available if a death results or if other aggravated conduct is proven. The case is being handled by the Office’s Civil Rights and Human Trafficking Unit.
What Happens Next
Following his arrest, Moore was to be presented before a magistrate judge, where the federal charges would be formally read and detention conditions addressed. He remains presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court. If he is convicted, a federal judge will determine any sentence under the advisory sentencing guidelines and applicable statutes. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Andrew Jones and Madison Reddick Smyser are leading the prosecution.
Local Context
The federal case lands amid a run of bias incidents across New York City, including subway confrontations and antisemitic vandalism such as the recent overnight swastika spree in Forest Hills. NYPD officials and federal partners have urged anyone who witnessed the alleged Bronx assault, or who has additional information, to contact authorities as the investigation continues.
