Jonathan Andrew Felkel, a 34-year-old resident of Columbia, pleaded guilty on Mar. 19 to violating the housing rights of his Black neighbor, identified as J.M.
The case centers on an incident that occurred on July 17, 2025, when Felkel encountered J.M. at the gate of their shared gated community. According to court documents, Felkel fired a gun into the air and shouted at J.M., “You better run, boy!” Felkel later admitted to law enforcement that his actions were intended to scare J.M. and convey that he should “leave [the neighborhood], get from around here,” further stating that J.M. “[didn’t] need to be around this area.”
Felkel also expressed a belief that because J.M. was Black, he must be connected to “dangerous criminals.” The Department of Justice said these actions constituted a violation of federal civil rights laws protecting individuals from discrimination in housing.
Felkel now faces a maximum penalty of ten years in prison, a fine up to $250,000, and supervised release following any term of imprisonment. United States District Judge Mary Geiger Lewis accepted the guilty plea and will determine sentencing at a future date.
The FBI Columbia Field Office and the Richland County Sheriff’s Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Elle Klein and Lamar Fyall from the District of South Carolina and Trial Attorney Sarah Armstrong from the Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section are prosecuting.
