Bronx Man at Federal Reentry Center Charged With Hate Crime in Assault of Gay Man

NEW YORK — Shorai Moore, who is serving a federal sentence at a residential reentry center in the Bronx, was charged in an indictment unsealed May 7, 2026, with one count of committing a hate crime in connection with the assault of a gay man on April 1, 2026.

The indictment, returned in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, names Moore as the sole defendant. It alleges he assaulted the victim because of the victim's sexual orientation. The charging document cites 18 U.S.C. § 249, the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr.

Hate Crimes Prevention Act, which criminalizes willful infliction of bodily injury because of actual or perceived race, color, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or disability.

The scope of the case centers on a single alleged incident involving one victim and one defendant. Moore remains in custody at the reentry center operated under contract with the Federal Bureau of Prisons. Federal residential reentry centers typically house individuals transitioning from prison to supervised release and serve roughly 10,000 people per year nationwide.

The charge changes Moore's legal status from a prisoner completing his sentence to a defendant facing new federal felony exposure. If convicted, the hate-crime count carries a statutory maximum of 10 years in prison. Sentencing on the new count would run consecutively or concurrently with any remaining time on his original sentence, per federal sentencing guidelines.

The case now shifts from administrative reentry oversight to active criminal prosecution, with an initial appearance and arraignment required in the Southern District.

Downstream, the FBI and NYPD must produce all evidence gathered during the joint investigation to prosecutors. The Bureau of Prisons must determine whether Moore can remain at the reentry center pending trial or requires transfer to a secure facility.

The Southern District U.S. Attorney's Office must schedule discovery, motion practice and trial within the Speedy Trial Act timelines. A conviction would also require the U.S. Sentencing Commission to apply the hate-crime enhancement, potentially affecting future federal reentry placements for similar offenders.

This marks the latest federal hate-crime prosecution brought by the Southern District of New York in coordination with the FBI's New York Field Office and the NYPD. The indictment was announced by U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton, FBI New York Assistant Director in Charge James C. Barnacle Jr. and NYPD Commissioner Jessica S. Tisch.