The Hillsborough County State Attorney’s office filed criminal charges against the three men accused of disrupting a student prayer gathering at a University of South Florida parking garage in Tampa.
Richard Penkoski, Christopher Svochak, and Ricardo Yepez are each charged with disturbing a religious assembly and disorderly conduct. The State Attorney’s office said the defendants were charged under Florida Statute 871.01, which makes it a crime to willfully interrupt or disturb any assembly of people gathered for the worship of God. They were also charged with disorderly conduct. These charges are misdemeanors.
The Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC) strongly condemned what they said was a “hate-fueled, Islamophobic harassment that Muslim students at the University of South Florida (USF) endured while they were peacefully praying.” According to the USF Police Department, the men confronted students during their early morning Fajr prayer on the rooftop of a campus parking garage.
The students described a terrifying scene: the men shouted slurs about their religion, mocked their sacred ritual with a cardboard “Kaaba 2.0 – Jesus is Lord” box, spat near worshippers, and waved bacon, a food explicitly forbidden in Islam, immediately after the prayer. According to the Muslim Public Affairs Council, USFPD filed felony hate-crime charges (“disturbing schools and religious assemblies”) along with misdemeanors, and USF issued trespass orders to bar the individuals from returning to campus.
The Hillsborough County State Attorney’s office also said the case arrived on a direct referral from law enforcement, and no arrests were made. Witnesses and victims were cooperative in helping the office gather the facts and evidence.
The State Attorney’s office said that the defendants approached a group of 11 students and community members who were engaged in prayer and repeatedly interrupted them, harassing and confronting them until the gathering was forced to end. Video evidence, including videos the defendants themselves posted on social media, and victim statements show the victims were targeted because they were engaged in religious worship.
But Hillsborough County State Attorney Suzy Lopez only charged misdemeanors. Her office stated:
“Some in the community have asked why our office did not seek a hate crime enhancement under Florida Statute 775.085. While one’s words may be offensive, the criminal justice system punishes actions, not words alone. Both the Florida Constitution and United States Constitution protect offensive viewpoints as much as our freedom to practice our religion. Our office will defend every person’s right to worship freely, peacefully, and without fear. No one should have to choose between practicing their faith and feeling safe.”
The Muslim Public Affairs Council said it was a “targeted hate crime” and called on USF to take action in Central Florida on these matters. The group stated: “This is not just a violation of the students’ religious freedom. It is a targeted hate crime and act of intimidation fueled by bigotry. MPAC calls on USF leadership to ensure full accountability, strengthen protections for Muslim students, and invest in education and resources to ensure that no one on campus fears for their safety simply for praying, while emphasizing to the Administration and Congress that Islamophobia deserves the same urgency, attention, and concrete action that our institutions apply to addressing any other form of hate.”
