Facing new federal charges, the Madison man accused of setting fire to Mississippi’s largest synagogue pleaded not guilty again on Wednesday.  After Stephen Spencer Pittman’s initial arraignment last month, a federal grand jury indicted the 19-year-old on two new charges last week, upping t he prison time he faces if convicted.  The superseding indictment accuses Pittman of destroying religious property “because of the religious character of that property,” a charge that carries up to 20 years in prison. He was also indicted for using fire to commit a felony for allegedly burning the Beth Israel Congregation in northeast Jackson. That charge comes with a 10-year prison sentence. Pittman, who usually goes by his middle name, was previously indicted on one count of attempting to destroy property used in religious commerce – a charge he still faces under the new indictment. Facing up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine on that charge, Pittman pleaded not guilty last month.  “The Department of Justice will not tolerate attacks on houses of worship,” Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division said in a press release announcing the new charges last week. “This superseding indictment shows that we will investigate and we will prosecute such vicious attacks that strike at the core of our country’s long tradition of religious liberty.” The federal government is also ordering Pittman to forfeit any property he used in the alleged arson. He is accused of driving his truck to the synagogue on Old Canton Road where, hours before dawn on Jan. 10, he allegedly used an ax to break through one of the windows, poured gasoline inside the building and used a torch lighter.  Pittman was set to face trial in federal court later this month, but U.S. Magistrate Court Judge LaKeysha Greer Isaac entered an order this week pushing the date back to April 6.  In state court, Pittman faces a separate first-degree arson charge with an enhancement under a Mississippi law punishing “offenses committed for discriminatory reasons.” A Hinds County grand jury swiftly indicted Pittman after he was arrested by law enforcement at the University of Mississippi Medical Center, where he was being treated for burns.  Despite his attorney’s efforts, Pittman remains in jail after Isaac deemed him a threat to public safety at a detention hearing last month. Pittman – who comes from a wealthy suburb of Jackson and attended a private Catholic school – continues to be represented by a federal public defender.  In the weeks leading up to his alleged arson attack, Pittman allegedly began making antisemitic statements and behaving in such a way that the “family pets were afraid” of him and his mother was considering “locking their bedroom doors at night,” an FBI agent testified last month. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matt Allen, Jonathan Buckner and Taylor Payne from DOJ’s civil rights division are prosecuting the case. Pittman is represented by federal public defender Michael Scott. READ MORE: Suspect in Mississippi synagogue fire laughed as he confessed to his dad, authorities say ...read more read less