A Bronx man already facing state hate crime charges after an attack at a Midtown synagogue is now also facing federal charges.

Federal authorities in New York charged Larry Montes, 46, on Tuesday with two counts of committing hate crimes, as well as destruction of religious property resulting in bodily injury.

Montes is accused of disrupting worship during a Friday night Shabbat service attended by roughly 375 people at Central Synagogue on Aug. 14. Federal authorities said Montes allegedly stood up and began shouting before hitting two ceremonial silver candlesticks.

Prosecutors allege Montes punched a congregant in her face. As security guards and law enforcement attempted to handcuff him, Montes allegedly directed a racial slur at a Black security guard, then spat in the guard’s face and headbutted him near his left eye.

The Justice Department said Montes also made statements including “f— you people” and “I don’t f— with you people” as the synagogue’s head of security attempted to remove him from the service.

Montes then allegedly said that he planned to return to the synagogue.

The charges, which were filed in the Southern District of New York, demonstrate the Department of Justice’s willingness to “intervene to protect the public in the face of antisemitic and racially motivated attacks,” said Harmeet K. Dhillon, assistant attorney general for the department’s Civil Rights Division.

“Americans’ fundamental right to worship without fear of bias-motivated violence is sacrosanct and must be protected at all costs,” Dhillon said.

During a recorded interview after his arrest, the federal complaint states, Montes said “f— the Jews. … It’s racial” and described his actions as “all religious motivated.”

Montes is currently in state custody and is expected to appear in Manhattan federal court at a later date, according to the Department of Justice.

Each of the two federal hate crime charges carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. The charge of damaging religious property resulting in bodily injury carries a maximum penalty of 20 years. Any sentence would ultimately be determined by a judge.

An attorney representing Montes did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Gothamist.