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(NEW YORK) — Federal and local law enforcement in Pennsylvania said they are struggling to locate the bulk of firearms stolen in a recent string of burglaries of licensed firearm dealers.

Of the 93 guns stolen, officials have been able to locate 33 — some of which were involved in later robberies and shootings — leaving the status of 60 guns unknown, according to a joint press release.

The Montgomery County District Attorney, Bucks County District Attorney, Special Agent-in-charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ Philadelphia Field Division and the Springfield Township Police Chief announced on Wednesday that they had arrested 13 people, including 11 juveniles, on charges related to three burglaries and one attempted burglary.

Two adults — aged 40 and 22 — and two people who were listed as juveniles were charged as adults, police said. Angel Mason, 40, and Donte Purnell, 22, were released after bail was set. Elijah Terrell, 16, was arraigned and remanded to the Montgomery County Youth Center, and Liv Hall, 18, was incarcerated in Philadelphia on unrelated charges, police said.

The remaining nine minors, who ranged in age from 14 to 17, were charged in juvenile court.

Police said they traced at least four of the guns to later crimes, including a September double shooting in Philadelphia that left a 16-year-old dead and a 14-year-old injured, as well as an additional shooting incident. At least two other firearms were used in armed robberies.

“With 60 firearms unaccounted for, we still don’t know the extent of the damage by this corrupt organization’s criminal activities, including shootings and murders,” said Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin R. Steele.

The 60 missing firearms represent a small portion of the total number of stolen firearms circulating in the United States. Roughly 1.2 million guns were stolen from individuals between 2012 through 2015, according to data collected by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and analyzed by the Center for American Progress. Twenty-two thousand were stolen from gun stores. In total, during that timeframe, a person in the U.S. stole a gun every two minutes.

“Together, we fight hard every day against lawless criminals that steal and use crime guns to terrorize our communities, regardless of whose borders they cross,” said Bucks County District Attorney Matthew Weintraub. “And we will not rest. More to come.”

Some of the defendants in Pennsylvania belonged to a Philadelphia juvenile youth gang called “54th Street,” authorities said. Between Sept. 23 and Nov. 20, the group allegedly executed three successful burglaries in Montgomery and Bucks Counties and attempted a fourth that was foiled when a bystander heard breaking glass and called 911. According to the release, the group also allegedly planned two additional robberies that had not yet been executed.

For each successful robbery, the defendants are alleged to have entered the store between 2 a.m. and 4:30 a.m., smashed the glass display case, grabbed the firearms, then fled. Their first heist yielded 26 guns, the second produced 32 pistols, eight rifles, and one suppressor, and their last provided 27 firearms, officials said.

“Detectives found that those stolen firearms were rapidly distributed and illegally transferred between members of the corrupt organization and to others, which led to the use of these stolen guns to commit crimes,” the release noted.

The arrests resulted from cooperation across multiple local, county, state and federal law enforcement entities. The Springfield Township Police Department said law enforcement quickly analyzed the volume of cell phone and social media data through membership in the U.S. Secret Service’s Philadelphia Area Cyber Fraud Taskforce.

“This was truly interagency cooperation at its best,” wrote the Springfield Township Police Department in their release.

The Department of Justice announced in 2021 the creation of five firearms trafficking “strike forces” aimed at disrupting firearms trafficking by leveraging existing resources in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Washington, D.C.

Such task forces work to stop the traffic of guns from where they are more obtainable into cities. For example, ATF data shows that 81% of guns recovered in New York in 2022 originated from out of state, with cities like Chicago and Baltimore seeming similar sourcing for illegal firearms.

“All too often, guns found at crime scenes come from hundreds or even thousands of miles away,” Attorney General Merrick Garland said in 2021.

Following the fatal shooting of two New York Police officers with an illegally obtained gun in 2022, President Joe Biden called for strengthening task forces to stop the illegal flow of firearms.

At the time of Garland’s 2021 announcement, Philadelphia did not acquire a dedicated strike force from the DOJ; however, the Pennsylvania Attorney General, Philadelphia Police and District Attorney’s Office run a similar gun violence task force with multiple federal agencies to trace the origin of gun crimes.

“These defendants brazenly broke into gun stores and stole nearly 100 firearms, then sold and transferred them widely throughout Southeastern Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware,” said Steele.

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(MEMPHIS, Tenn.) — The five Memphis police officers who were fired in connection with the death of Tyre Nichols after a traffic stop on Jan. 7 have each been charged with murder and are in custody Thursday, according to Shelby County, Tennessee, jail records.

Memphis police identified the officers last week as Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, Desmond Mills Jr. and Justin Smith. All five have been booked into jail.

There has been no official announcement of charges against the officers, but jail records for the officers show they’ve each been booked on several felonies, including second-degree murder, aggravated kidnapping and aggravated assault.

Bonds are set at $350,000 for Martin and Haley, and $250,000 for Bean, Mills and Smith, according to a news release from the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.

Former officer Mills is currently being represented by defense attorney Blake Ballin, who will be holding a press conference today with defense attorney William Massey, representing former officer Martin.

Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy, joined by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation Director David Rausch and other TBI members, made the official announcement Thursday afternoon, charging the officers on multiple counts.

“In a word, ‘it’s absolutely appalling. Let me be clear, what happened here does not at all reflect proper policing. This was wrong. This was criminal,” Rausch said.

The investigation is still ongoing at this time. According to Mulroy, under the laws of Tennessee, second-degree murder is a knowing killing.

“Nothing we do today or did today precludes the addition of any further charges regarding any of the people [involved],” Mulroy said.

The video footage of the incident is comprised of city cameras and body camera footage of the former officers.

Nichols’ stepfather Rodney Wells told ABC News earlier this week that they are seeking a first-degree murder charge, but Mulroy told press that he met with the family about the charges brought today and “expedited” the investigation.

MPD announced this week that other officers in the department are under investigation for department violations as well.

According to the department, the officers violated policies for use of force, duty to intervene and duty to render aid.

“The news today from Memphis officials that these five officers are being held criminally accountable for their deadly and brutal actions gives us hope as we continue to push for justice for Tyre,” Nichols’ family attorneys Ben Crump and Antonio Romanucci said in a statement.

“This young man lost his life in a particularly disgusting manner that points to the desperate need for change and reform to ensure this violence stops occurring during low-threat procedures, like in this case, a traffic stop.”

This announcement comes after MPD Chief Cerelyn “CJ” Davis released a statement including that the five officers were “directly responsible for the physical abuse” of Nichols and that the video footage of the incident was “heinous, reckless and inhumane.”

“I expect our citizens to exercise their first amendment right to protest, to demand action and results, but we need to ensure our community is safe in this process. None of this is a calling card for inciting violence or destruction on our community or against our citizens,” Davis said.

The video has yet to be made public but is expected to be released on Friday.

Authorities have warned law enforcement agencies of the reaction that may transpire when the official video footage is released.

Tennessee Sheriff’s Association President Jeff Bledsoe sent out a letter to Jonathan Thompson, the National Sheriffs’ Association Executive Director/CEO, on Wednesday anticipating the public reaction to the video’s release.

“Due to the nature of the video’s contents it is believed it may spark responses outside of the traditional protests,” the letter read. “There is a public safety risk potential to communities and peace officers expanding outside of the Shelby County (Memphis) TN area.”

After being pulled over for “reckless driving” on Jan. 7, Nichols was involved in an altercation with Memphis officers that led to him being hospitalized in critical condition after complaining of shortness of breath during the arrest. Three days later, Nichols died.

According to a preliminary independent autopsy commissioned by Nichols’ family and released by attorneys, Nichols suffered from “extensive bleeding caused by a severe beating.”

The independent autopsy report or official autopsy report has still not been publicly released.

The incident also continues to be investigated by the U.S. Department of Justice.

ABC News’ Armando Garcia, Josh Margolin, Stephanie Wash and Whitney Lloyd contributed to this report.

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(NEW YORK) — Sayfullo Saipov, an Uzbek native who drove a rented truck down a Manhattan bike path adjacent to the Hudson River in an ISIS-inspired terror attack that killed eight people, was convicted Thursday by a federal court jury of murder and attempted murder in order to gain entry to ISIS, making him eligible for the death penalty.

The trial, which began in Manhattan federal court earlier this month, marked the first federal death penalty trial of the Biden administration. Jurors will next decide whether Saipov should face the death penalty.

Saipov had pleaded not guilty to multiple charges, including murder in the aid of racketeering and providing and attempting to provide material support or resources to a foreign terrorist organization.

The truck attack, which was on Halloween, was the deadliest terror attack in New York since Sept. 11, 2001.

Saipov, a native of Uzbekistan who lived in Florida, Ohio and New Jersey following his arrival in the United States, was allegedly inspired to commit the killings by ISIS videos he viewed, prosecutors said. The rental truck used in the Oct. 31, 2017, attack was decorated with an ISIS flag.

Prosecutors alleged that the suspect drove the truck on a bike lane and pedestrian walkway in lower Manhattan, and when the truck collided with a school bus he exited the vehicle holding a paintball gun and pellet gun.

“Moments after Saipov got out of the truck, he yelled, in substance and in part, ‘Allah Akbar,'” according to charging documents filed in the case.

He chose Halloween to commit the attack, which required “substantial planning and premeditation,” anticipating there would be more civilians on the streets that day, prosecutors alleged, calling it “heinous, cruel and depraved.”

“Sayfullo Habibullaevic Saipov caused injury, harm, and loss to the families and friends of Diego Enrique Angelini, Nicholas Cleves, Ann-Laure Decadt, Darren Drake, Ariel Erlij, Hernan Ferruchi, Hernan Diego Mendoza, and Alejandro Damian Pagnucco,” according to court records. Five of the victims were tourists from Argentina.

The defense, which did not call any witnesses during the trial, conceded during opening statements that Saipov carried out the attack but challenged the government’s allegation he did it to become a full-fledged member of ISIS. The defense said Saipov did not want to join the terror group, he wanted to die a martyr.

Saipov has been in federal custody since his arrest.

The Southern District of New York’s last capital murder case was against Khalid Barnes, who was convicted of murdering two drug suppliers but was ultimately sentenced to life in prison in September 2009.

The last time the death penalty was carried out in a New York federal case was in 1953 when husband and wife Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were executed after being convicted of conspiracy to commit espionage for the Soviet Union during the Cold War.

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(NEW YORK) — Child sex trafficking victims implicated for crimes against their abusers are speaking out amid an ongoing push for laws that change how such cases are treated in the criminal justice system.

In 1995, Sara Kruzan was 17 when she was sentenced to life in prison for killing the man who she says began grooming her at the age of 11.

“I was an easy target for a man with disturbing intentions. From ages 13 to 16, I was a child sex trafficking victim who endured horrific abuse and rape at the hands of my trafficker and other adult males,” Kruzan told ABC News.

Kruzan would go on to spend nearly two decades in prison before her sentence was commuted twice — once in 2011 and once in 2013. She was released that year and was pardoned by California Gov. Gavin Newsom last July.

Since her release, Kruzan has dedicated her life to children who find themselves in the position she was once in — vulnerable, powerless and at the constant mercy of abusers.

Nearly 1,000 children were forced into sexual slavery in 2020, according to the Administration for Children Families. Victims often have a history of neglect, abuse and trauma. But in most cases, the abuse goes unreported.

In many cases, victims never return home. Only an estimated 1% to 2% of child sex trafficking victims are recovered, according to Erase Child Trafficking.

“The sex industry preys on vulnerability and marginalization,” said Yasmin Vafa, a human rights attorney who co-founded the nonprofit Rights4Girls. “And so those children who are marginalized by race and ethnicity, by gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, by disability, by immigration status, by a whole host of factors. Those children are more likely to be exploited because they are vulnerable.”

In Wisconsin, 22-year-old Chrystul Kizer is facing a life sentence for killing the man who she says forced her into sex work.

Kizer met Randall Phillip Valor when she was 16 years old. She says Valor sexually abused her and recorded the acts. After a year of abuse, Kizer went to Valor’s home and shot him. She then started a fire and drove away in his car.

Kizer later admitted to detectives that she “had gotten upset and was tired of [him] touching her.” She was charged with multiple felonies, including first-degree homicide, and has since been released on bond.

In a groundbreaking decision, the Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled Kizer may have the chance to be acquitted of all charges using a state law meant to provide immunity to victims of human trafficking.

Kizer’s defense argues that when she committed the murder, she was being trafficked and for no other reason would it have occurred, ABC News legal contributor Channa Llloyd said. The burden is now on the state to prove being sexually trafficked wasn’t a direct cause.

Kruzan said that trying child sex trafficking victims as adults is “another form of human rights violations.” She’s now part of an ongoing push to change laws around sentencing child victims of sex trafficking.

Backed by bipartisan representatives, one of them is “Sara’s Law” or “The Preventing Unfair Sentencing Act.” If passed, it would give judges discretion to hand down reduced sentences for child survivors and promote physical and psychological recovery for child sex trafficking victims.

Looking back at her case, Kruzan wishes that the justice system treated her with compassion.

“You know, trying to ask the right questions, to say, well, what happened to you? How did this happen? And then, how did the adults miss it?” Kruzan said.

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(SYRACUSE, N.Y.) — Two men have been arrested in the slaying of 11-year-old Brexialee Torres-Ortiz, who was shot dead while walking home after buying milk near her home, authorities announced Thursday.

Two of the three suspects believed to be involved in the Jan. 16 shooting, an 18-year-old man and a 20-year-old man, were arrested Wednesday on charges including second-degree murder, Syracuse Police Chief Joe Cecile announced at a news conference Thursday. They were arraigned Thursday morning, Onondaga County District Attorney Bill Fitzpatrick said.

The third suspect, a 16-year-old, is known to police and is a resident at a juvenile facility in the New York City area, where he was placed by a family court judge, Fitzpatrick said.

He was “on a furlough from the facility” on the day Brexialee was killed, Fitzpatrick said.

“We will be addressing more information about him at such time he’s in custody,” he said.

Brexialee had just left a corner store that was about 100 yards from her apartment when she was shot by gunmen in a car who were firing at someone else, authorities said. A 19-year-old man was also shot at the scene and survived, the chief said.

Police zeroed in on the suspects after identifying the stolen car that the shots were fired from, the chief said.

Brexialee, president of her fifth grade class and part of her school’s high honors program, “was an extraordinary young lady,” the chief said Thursday.

“The stories we started to hear about her taking care of her classmates … [she was] their advocate so they could succeed the way she was succeeding,” Cecile said.

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(NEW YORK) — An Illinois man has been arrested and charged for allegedly setting fire to a Planned Parenthood clinic, federal authorities said Wednesday.

Tyler W. Massengill, 32, of Chillicoth, Illinois, is facing charges of malicious use of fire and an explosive to damage as well as attempt to damage, according to a criminal complaint filed Wednesday in the United States District Court for the Central District of Illinois.

The charges stem from a fire that was reported late in the night on Jan. 15 at the Planned Parenthood clinic in Peoria, about 160 miles southwest of Chicago. After interviewing witnesses and reviewing surveillance footage in the area, investigators learned that a white pickup truck with red doors had parked adjacent to the building shortly before the blaze began and drove away just moments after, according to the complaint.

At approximately 11:20 p.m. CT that night, a man wearing a coat with a hood pulled up and possibly a face mask was seen walking up to the Planned Parenthood clinic “with a laundry detergent-sized bottle,” according to the complaint. The man “lit a rag on fire on one end of the bottle, smashed a window with an object, then placed the container inside of the … building” before “quickly” fleeing the scene “on foot,” the complaint stated.

According to the Peoria Police Department, no patients or staff were inside the Planned Parenthood clinic at the time of blaze. A firefighter sustained non-life-threatening injuries while attempting to extinguish the flames. Investigators quickly determined that the preliminary cause of the fire was arson, police said.

On Jan. 17, after receiving several tips, the Peoria Police Department linked the truck to Massengill. Police also obtained a booking photo of Massengill and found a Facebook account in his name, and the images from both “bear a likeness” to the man captured on surveillance video outside the Planned Parenthood clinic, according to the complaint.

On Jan. 23, a woman contacted local police to tell them that she had Massengill’s truck in her garage in Sparland, about 30 miles northeast of Peoria. She told police that, on Jan. 16, Massengill had requested to keep his white pickup truck in her garage and to paint its red doors white for $300, according to the complaint.

The woman said she last spoke with Massengill via Facebook on Jan. 18, when she asked him to come get his truck. She said he indicated that he had seen his truck on the news but told her: “I didn’t do it, I didn’t do it,” according to the complaint.

The FBI seized Massengill’s truck on Jan. 23, by which time the doors had been painted white. FBI agents also “recovered a paint grinder from the scene with red paint residue,” the complaint stated.

The following day, Massengill contacted the Peoria Police Department and said he wanted to speak about the Jan. 15 fire at the Planned Parenthood clinic. While meeting with investigators, Massengill initially denied responsibility for the blaze but ultimately admitted to breaking a window and placing a burning container inside the building. He also confirmed that he had asked someone to paint his truck white after the incident, according to the complaint.

Massengill told investigators that, approximately three years ago, he had a girlfriend in the Peoria area who became pregnant and had an abortion. He said she first told him about the abortion via telephone while he was working in Alaska, which upset him. On or around Jan. 15, Massengill said he heard or saw something that reminded him of the abortion, which upset him again, according to the complaint.

Massengill also told investigators that if his actions on the night of Jan. 15 caused “a little delay” in someone receiving abortion services at the Planned Parenthood clinic, it may have been “all worth it,” according to the complaint.

The Planned Parenthood location in Peoria, which had to be closed due to damage from the fire, offers medication abortion but is not a site for in-clinic procedures, according to Jennifer Welch, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood of Illinois.

Massengill was taken into custody on Jan. 24. If convicted on all charges, he faces a mandatory minimum prison sentence of at least five years and could be sentenced to as many as 40 years behind bars. The charges also carry up to three years of supervised release and a possible fine of up to $250,000, according to a press release issued Wednesday by the U.S. Department of Justice.

It was unknown whether Massengill had retained legal representation.

The incident at the Planned Parenthood clinic in Peoria happened just two days after Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed comprehensive reproductive health care legislation into law that protects out-of-state abortion seekers and allows them to get an abortion. Illinois is among a number of U.S. states that have managed to enact legal reinforcements around abortions following the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision last year to overturn Roe v. Wade, the landmark case that legalized abortion nationwide in 1973.

Last week, the FBI announced that it is offering a $25,000 reward for information that leads to an arrest in the wake of a spate of attacks against reproductive health facilities across the country.

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(MONTEREY PARK, Calif.) — The suspect involved in the Monterey Park shooting had no known connection to any of the victims that were killed in the shooting, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

Police also confirmed that a total of three firearms registered to the suspect were recovered by detectives — along with a motorcycle that belonged to the suspect that authorities believe was a possible alternate getaway vehicle.

“As of today, based on interviews, investigators have not been able to establish a connection between the suspect and any of the victims,” Sheriff Robert Luna said in a statement following a press conference held on Wednesday evening. “The suspect was not married and was not romantically tied to any of the victims. According to witness accounts, the suspect has not frequented the location in the last five years.”

Three firearms registered to the suspect have so far been recovered by detectives from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department (LASD) Homicide Bureau, authorities say.

“The murder weapon recovered at the Alhambra scene was identified as a Cobray model CM11-9 (also known as Mac-10),” police said in a statement. “The weapon was not registered in the state of California and was purchased by the suspect on February 9, 1999, in the city of Monterey Park. The weapon used by the suspect to commit suicide inside the white van was identified as a Norinco 7.62 X 25mm pistol. The rifle recovered from the suspect’s residence in Hemet is a Savage Arms .308 caliber bolt action rifle.”

Monterey Park police officers also recovered a motorcycle — just one block from where the shootings took place — that was registered to the suspect.

Authorities believe it was strategically placed on the 200 block of South Garfield Avenue in Monterey Park as an alternate getaway vehicle.

“Investigators determined the motorcycle was parked at that location sometime on Saturday, just prior to the mass murder. Investigators believe it was placed there by the suspect as an alternate getaway vehicle,” police said.

The suspect had no recent criminal history but records show that he was arrested 33 years ago in 1990 for unlawful possession of a firearm.

“If people believe they have information that can help us with a motive in this case, please make sure you contact investigators of our Homicide Bureau at 323-890-5500. A lot of rumors out there, a lot of people sharing stories, but again, we will only put out there information that we have verified through facts and evidence,” Sheriff Luna concluded at the press conference.

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(NEW YORK) — Jury deliberations resume Thursday in the trial of Sayfullo Saipov, the Uzbek native who took inspiration from the Islamic State group and drove a truck down the West Side Highway bike path, killing eight on Halloween 2017.

The jury deliberated for an hour or so Wednesday and appeared befuddled.

The defense, which did not call any witnesses, conceded during opening statements that Saipov carried out the attack but challenged the government allegation he did it to become a full fledged member of ISIS. The defense said Saipov did not want to join the terror group, he wanted to die a martyr.

Prior to adjourning for the day the jury sent the judge a note with three questions:

– Is the defense contending Saipov committed the truck attack but was charged with the wrong crime?

– If Saipov went to Syria, trained with ISIS and came back with an ISIS card, would he have been charged with the same crime?

– Let’s say we find Saipov not guilty of the truck attack because he wanted to join ISIS. Would he be re-tried for a different crime?

The judge expressed concern the questions sounded like conversations and not based on evidence.

The judge, prosecutors and defense attorneys will spend part of the morning deciding how to respond once the court reconvenes at 9 a.m.

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(DUXBURY, Mass.) — A Massachusetts woman is facing charges in the deaths of her two young children and the injury of her baby, authorities said Wednesday.

Police received a 911 call on Tuesday evening, just after 6 p.m. ET, from a man who said his wife had attempted suicide by jumping out of a window at their house in Duxbury, a small seaside town about 30 miles south of Boston. First responders rushed to the home and located the woman, identified as 32-year-old Lindsay Clancy, whom they treated on scene before transporting her to a Boston hospital, according to Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy Cruz. Her condition was unknown.

First responders subsequently found three young children inside the home who were “unconscious with obvious signs of severe trauma,” Cruz said. A 5-year-old girl, identified as Cora Clancy, and a 3-year-old boy, identified as Dawson Clancy, were both transported to a hospital in nearby Plymouth, where they were pronounced dead. A 7-month-old boy, who was not named, was flown to a Boston hospital for treatment, according to Cruz. The infant’s condition was unknown.

Massachusetts’ Office of the Chief Medical Examiner will determine the causes of deaths.

“Preliminarily, it appears the children were strangled,” Cruz said during a press conference on Wednesday afternoon. “As soon as able, we will be arraigning her on the two charges of murder in the deaths of her children.”

Late Wednesday, the district attorney announced via Twitter that an arrest warrant had been issued for Lindsay Clancy for two counts of homicide as well as three counts each for strangulation and assault and battery with a deadly weapon for the deaths of Cora and Dawson Clancy. The mother is under police custody, according to Cruz.

The district attorney was asked by reporters during Wednesday’s press conference whether Lindsay Clancy had any known mental health issues.

“I’m not in a position to comment on mental health issues,” he replied. “However, I would say that everything is being looked at.”

Cruz reiterated that the investigation is “active and ongoing” by the Duxbury Police Department and the Massachusetts State Police, with investigators “working this case around the clock.”

He commended “the professionalism and the work” of the first responders.

“I’m sure many of them will not forget what they saw last evening,” he said “I think we should all be grateful to the men and women that put a uniform on that are willing do this difficult and challenging job.”

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(NEW YORK) — Several Florida students say they plan to sue the state and Gov. Ron DeSantis over the state’s rejection of the Advanced Placement African American studies course in state schools.

“If he does not negotiate with the College Board to allow AP African American studies to be taught in classrooms across the state of Florida, these three young people will be the lead plaintiffs,” said civil rights attorney Ben Crump at a Wednesday press conference.

The lawsuit is backed by Crump and attorney Craig Whisenhunt, who will be representing three AP honors high school students.

“I realized that I have not learned much about the history or culture of my people outside of my parents and close relatives,” one of the students involved in the legal action said at the press conference.

Another student at the press conference argued that DeSantis doesn’t have “the right to take this opportunity from thousands of students across the state.”

“There are many gaps in American history regarding the African American population,” a third student said. “The implementation of an AP African American History class could fill in those gaps.”

The governor’s office referred questions to the Florida Department of Education.

“This threat is nothing more than a meritless publicity stunt,” Florida Department of Education Communications Director Alex Lanfranconi said in a statement to ABC News on Wednesday.

Last year, DeSantis signed the “Stop WOKE” Act into law, restricting race-related conversations and instruction in workplaces, schools and colleges. The law includes a ban on teaching or business practices that contend members of one ethnic group are inherently racist and should feel guilt for past actions committed by others. A federal judge in Florida issued a temporary injunction in November against the act’s implementation in higher education, which is still being battled in court.

“We seek normalcy, not philosophical lunacy, we will not allow reality, facts and truth to become optional. We will never surrender to the woke mob. Florida is where woke goes to die,” DeSantis said during his Jan. 3 inauguration.

In a letter obtained by ABC News, the state DOE rejected the course, calling it “inexplicably contrary to Florida law and significantly lacks educational value.”

“If the course comes into compliance and incorporates historically accurate content, the department will reopen the discussion,” a Florida DOE official previously told ABC News.

The state DOE said in the letter it was concerned with several topics in the course, including Black Queer studies, intersectionality and activism, Black feminist literary thought and the reparations movement.

At the Wednesday press conference on the potential lawsuit, several state legislators criticized DeSantis for his administration’s recent efforts to restrict education on race and diversity.

State Rep. Michele Rayner said that “critical race theory” has become a racist dog whistle used to wipe the stories of racial justice icons like Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King from classrooms.

“You cannot say on Monday that you support Dr. King and on Wednesday refuse to tell his story,” Rayner said.

The course is currently being piloted in a small number of high schools across the country with plans to roll out the course for any high school that wants it in the 2024-2025 school year, the College Board said. The Advanced Placement Program will release the official framework for the AP African American Studies course on Feb. 1 in time for Black History Month, replacing the preliminary pilot course framework.

“The process of piloting and revising course frameworks is a standard part of any new AP course, and frameworks often change significantly as a result,” the College Board said in a Jan. 20 statement. “We will publicly release the updated course framework when it is completed and well before this class is widely available in American high schools. We look forward to bringing this rich and inspiring exploration of African-American history and culture to students across the country.”

The College Board has not clarified how the framework that will be released will differ from the framework being piloted or if any of the changes will be a direct response to Florida’s concerns about the course.

Lanfranconi of the Florida DOE said, “As Governor DeSantis said, African American History is American History, and we will not allow any organization to use an academic course as a gateway for indoctrination and a political agenda. We look forward to reviewing the College Board’s changes and expect the removal of content on Critical Race Theory, Black Queer Studies, Intersectionality, and other topics that violate our laws.”

“The interdisciplinary course reaches into a variety of fields — literature, the arts and humanities, political science, geography and science — to explore the vital contributions and experiences of African Americans,” read a College Board description of the course.

Florida Commissioner of Education Manny Diaz Jr. tweeted Friday evening that the AP course was “filled with Critical Race Theory and other obvious violations of Florida law.”

“We proudly require the teaching of African American history. We do not accept woke indoctrination masquerading as education,” he continued.

The White House last week called Florida’s rejection of the AP African American history course “incomprehensible.”

“It is incomprehensible, that — to see that this is what this band or this block to be more specific, that DeSantis has put forward, if you think about the study of Black Americans, that is what he wants to block,” said White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre at a Jan. 20 briefing.

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