Man sentenced to three years in prison for destroying property at U.S. courthouse and federal building in Fort Lauderdale

MIAMI – On Feb. 8, a man was sentenced to three years in prison and ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $71,933.20 for destroying federal property at the U.S. Courthouse and Federal Building in Fort Lauderdale. The sentence follows his guilty plea entered in November 2023 to one count of destruction of federal property in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1361.  

According to facts admitted in support of his guilty plea, on Sept. 5, 2022, Matthew Leon Chilcutt, 45, of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, forced his way into the Courthouse when the building was closed to the public in observance of the Labor Day holiday. While on the federal premises, Chilcutt smashed glass and other objects, destroyed interior and exterior doors, and caused significant water damage, among other acts of destruction. Surveillance video at the Courthouse recorded Chilcutt throughout the offense.

U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida and the Federal Protective Service (FPS), Miami Region, announced the sentence imposed by U.S. District Judge K. Michael Moore.

FPS investigated this case with assistance from the Fort Lauderdale Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney David A. Snider prosecuted the case.

Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case number 22-cr-20449.

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