Caution tape and flowers cover the entrance to the Beth Israel Congregation, a synagogue that was set on fire early Saturday morning, on Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in Jackson, Miss. (AP Photo/Sophie Bates)
- “This superseding indictment shows that we will investigate and we will prosecute such vicious attacks that strike at the core of our country’s long tradition of religious liberty,” said Assistant U.S. Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon.
Stephen Spencer Pittman, the 19-year-old accused of setting fire to the Beth Israel Congregation in Jackson, pleaded not guilty to two new charges last week.
The new federal charges are for destroying religious property “because of the religious character of that property,” and using fire to commit a felony, this according to a three-page superseding indictment filed after a federal grand jury indictment.
Pittman was originally indicted on one count of attempting to destroy property used for religious purposes. That charge could bring up to 20 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine. He also pleaded not guilty to that charge.
Assistant U.S. Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division said the new charges show the DOJ will not tolerate attacking places of worship.
“This superseding indictment shows that we will investigate and we will prosecute such vicious attacks that strike at the core of our country’s long tradition of religious liberty,” she said.
The new indictment also states that the federal government plans to confiscate any personal property used by Pittman in the alleged fire.
Pittman remains in jail after being released from a Jackson hospital for burn wounds suffered while allegedly setting the blaze. U.S. Magistrate Court Judge LaKeysha Greer Isaac determined last month that Pittman was a threat to the public and must remain in jail.
During a recent court appearance, the Federal Bureau of Investigation said weeks before the alleged arson, Pittman started making antisemitic statements online. In an affidavit, FBI agent Micholas Amiano said Pittman’s father said his son “laughed as he told his father what he did and said he finally got them.”
Pittman’s federal trial was originally slated to start this week but has been postponed until April 6.
He faces state charges after a Hinds County grand jury indicted him on first-degree arson with an enhancement under Mississippi law. The enhancement increases the sentence as the crime was “committed for discriminatory reasons.”
The latest filing on the new federal charges is shown below,
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