Case Explained: Midlands man pleads guilty to federal hate crime involving neighbor – Legal Perspective

RICHLAND COUNTY, S.C. (WACH) — A Columbia man has pleaded guilty to a federal civil rights crime.

Jonathan Andrew Felkel, 34, pleaded guilty to violating the housing rights of his black neighbor, J.M.

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The 34-year old signed a plea agreement this afternoon after about 30 minutes or so of questions by the judge to make sure he understood his rights under the plea. In that agreement, Felkel agreed to serve 8-9 years, which is what the government felt was appropriate.

“This plea means accountability, this plea means justice for the victim,” FBI special agent for South Carolina Kevin Moore said.

On July 17, 2025, Felkel drove into the gated community where he and J.M. lived.

Officials say he saw J.M. standing at the gate of the community and fired a gun into the air and shouted at J.M., an African American man, “You better run, boy!”

The defendant later admitted to law enforcement that, in firing his gun and shouting at J.M., he intended to scare J.M., he had hoped to convey to J.M. “leave [the neighborhood], get from around here,” and that J.M. “[didn’t] need to be around this area.” Felkel expressed his belief, in part, that because J.M. was black, he must be connected to “dangerous criminals.”

“That’s disturbing that we still have people like that in our community, but what you saw today and what you saw the last 9 months is how quickly we can investigate a case and bring someone to justice,” Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott said on Thursday afternoon.

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Felkel faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and supervised release to follow any term of imprisonment.

A U.S. judge accepted the guilty plea and will sentence Felkel on a future date.

The FBI Columbia Field Office and the Richland County Sheriff’s Department investigated the case.