TAMPA, Fla. — The University of South Florida Police Department has filed felony hate crime charges against three men accused of harassing Muslim students during prayer in a campus parking garage.
Authorities identified the suspects as Christopher Svochak of Texas, Richard Penskoski of Oklahoma, and Ricardo Yepez of Tampa, Florida. Police said none of the men have any affiliation with USF. The charges stem from a viral video recorded on Tuesday that shows the men confronting students while they prayed.
Detectives said the cases involving all identified individuals are being directly filed with the Hillsborough County State Attorney’s Office for criminal prosecution. The investigation remains active, with additional charges pending further review.
Yepez, born May 14, 1997, faces charges of disturbing schools and religious or other assemblies (upgraded to a felony under Florida Statute 775.085 due to hate crime enhancement), disorderly conduct (misdemeanor), and disrupting school or lawful assembly (misdemeanor).
USF students said the incident was troubling and left them concerned about safety on campus.
“I think harassment, whether you're sharing your opinion or not, shouldn’t be tolerated,” said Benjamin Harris, a USF student. “I know we do have to protect our First Amendment rights, but at the same time harassing people to where they could fear for their safety is not okay, it doesn’t matter.”
University police emphasized that all three suspects have no connection to USF beyond the alleged incident and have also been issued trespass warnings. The investigation is continuing.
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