Michigan Man Faces Charges Of Race-Based Threats Interfering With Rights Of Home Seller, Real Estate Agent

From the U.S. Department of Justice:

• [Federal officials recently announced] that Curtis M. Gottler of Livonia, Mich., was indicted by a federal grand jury for hate crimes and other charges stemming from threats he allegedly made to a local couple and their real estate agent in an attempt to keep the couple from selling their home to African-Americans. The defendant was also charged with a hate crime and a threat for sending a threatening letter through the U.S. mail to an African-American resident of Livonia.

• One count in the indictment charges Gottler with attempting to interfere with the right of the couple to sell their home without discrimination on the basis of race. According to the indictment, on Aug. 24, 2007, Gottler left a handwritten note at the couple’s home indicating that he would track them down and harm them if they sold their home to African-Americans.

• Gottler is also charged with one count of attempting to interfere with the real estate agent’s right to assist the couple in selling their home without regard to race, and one count of making a threat in interstate commerce. According to the indictment, these charges relate to a threatening e-mail Gottler sent on Sept. 15, 2007, to the real estate agent who was representing the couple in the sale of their home.

• Gottler is also charged with two counts stemming from a letter he allegedly sent on June 25, 2007, to an African-American resident of Livonia, in which he threatened to harm the resident if the resident failed to leave Livonia. For this incident, the indictment charges Gottler with one hate crime and one count of sending a threat through the U.S. mail.

For the U.S. DOJ news release, see Livonia Man Indicted for Federal Civil Rights Violations for Threatening African-American Residents.