Justice Department Obtains Guilty Pleas In Cross Burning Incidents; Race-Based Harassment, Intimidation Used To Drive Families From Homes, Say Feds

In two separate incidents, the U.S. Department of Justice recently announced:
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#1: Two Indiana Men Plead Guilty to Cross Burning:

• Richard LaShure, 41, and Aaron Latham, 20, both of Muncie, Ind., pleaded guilty to conspiring to violate the civil rights of an African American family and to interfering with their housing rights by burning a cross in the family’s yard. According to the charging document, on July 25, 2008, the two men, acting with the assistance of a third participant, built a cross and poured gasoline on it, then set it on fire in the yard of an African-American family who lived in the neighborhood. They will be sentenced on Nov. 5, 2009.

• This is the second case in two years in which the Civil Rights Division has brought charges for a cross burning that occurred in Muncie, Ind. Two men were convicted in 2008 for burning a cross at the home of a woman who had biracial children. "These two men used a despicable and unmistakable symbol of hatred, the burning cross, to intimidate a family because they are African American," said Loretta King, Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division. "The Civil Rights Division will continue to prosecute this type of illegal, hateful behavior to the fullest extent of the law."

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#2: Four Arkansas Men Convicted of Civil Rights Charges in Cross Burning Conspiracy:

• The Justice Department announced that Jacob A. Wingo, Richard W. Robbins, Clayton D. Morrison and Darren E. McKim pleaded guilty [...] to conspiring to drive a woman and her children from their home in Donaldson, Ark., because they associated with African Americans. A fifth defendant, Dustin Nix, 21, pleaded guilty to similar charges in July 2009.

• All defendants pleaded guilty in federal court in Hot Springs, Ark., to civil rights charges and charges of making a false statement to a federal law enforcement officer. Each admitted and pleaded guilty to a felony civil rights charge for conspiring with each other to force a woman and her young children from their home by threats and intimidation because she associated with African Americans. Wingo and Morrison also pleaded guilty to an additional civil rights charge related to their direct involvement in an attempt to burn a cross at the victims’ home to intimidate the victims into leaving. All four defendants also pleaded guilty to a related charge of lying to agents of the FBI in an attempt to cover their conduct.(1)

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(1) In other related press releases from the U.S. Justice Department in connection with those charged with the use of fire to interfere with housing rights of others, a felony:

• (4-27-2009) Anderson County Man Indicted for Cross-Burning: Steven D. Archer, 49, Heiskell, Tennessee, has been indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of willfully interfering with a couple's federal housing rights because of their race by burning a wooden cross, in violation of Title 42, U.S. Code § 3631(a), outside the residence in Anderson County that the victims were occupying.

• (11-26-2008) West Virginia Man Indicted on Federal Civil Rights Charges for Allegedly Burning a Home: Daryl Lee Fierce, 69, of Charleston, W.Va., was indicted by a federal grand jury for using fire to intimidate and interfere with a person’s housing rights because African-American and biracial individuals visited the person in her home.

• (11-21-2008) Rutherford County Man Sentenced In U.S. District Court In Asheville In Connection With Cross Burning Incident (Defendant to Serve More Than Two Years in Federal Prison): Curtis Gene Worley, 51, of Spindale, North Carolina, was sentenced Wednesday to serve 28 months in federal prison, followed by two years of supervised release. Worley was indicted in October 2007 on one count alleging use of fire to injure, intimidate, and interfere with rights to occupy a dwelling because of race or color. According to information presented in open court during the hearings, Worley built and burned a cross on or near the property occupied by his neighbor, an adult African American female. See also: (10-25-2007) North Carolina Man Indicted In Cross-Burning Case: The indictment charged that Worley used a burning cross to intimidate and interfere with an African-American family because of race and because the family was occupying a dwelling. The indictment charges that Worley violated Title 42, U.S. Code § 3631(a), which provides criminal penalties for interference with the rights of citizens under the Fair Housing Act. Since 2001 and up through and including this prosecution, the Civil Rights Division brought 41 cross-burning prosecutions and convicted 60 defendants for these crimes.
  (6-6-2008) Muncie, Indiana, Man Sentenced to 121 Months in Cross Burning Case: Kyle Milbourn of Muncie, Ind., was sentenced by a federal judge [...] for a hate crime stemming from a cross burning last year that was directed at a woman and her three biracial children. Milbourn was convicted by a jury of one count of interfering with the housing rights of another person; one count of conspiring to interfere with civil rights; one count of using fire during the commission of a felony; and one count of tampering with a witness.

• (4-23-2007) Two Men Plead Guilty In Lassen County Cross Burning: Kevin William Ridenour, 21, and Nicholas Edward Craig, 18, both of Westwood, California, each pleaded guilty in Sacramento to interference with housing rights, a felony. The crime relates to the burning of a cross outside the rectory of a Catholic church in Westport, California. The Priest who resides in the rectory is from Rwanda, central Africa, and was assigned to Westport by the Catholic Archdiocese of Sacramento in October, 2006. The defendants admitted that they did so in order to threaten and intimidate the Priest because of his race, and the fact that he was occupying the rectory building. They also admitted that, while building the cross, they discussed the fact that the "KKK" had used burning crosses to intimidate black persons.

• (1-31-2007) Florida Man Sentenced in Cross Burning: Neal Chapman Coombs, a 50-year-old resident of Hastings, Fla., was sentenced to 14 months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release. Coombs pleaded guilty to a racially-motivated civil rights crime involving a cross burning. Coombs was charged with knowingly and willfully intimidating an African-American family that was negotiating for the purchase of a house in Hastings, Fla., by threat of force and the use of fire. Specifically, it was alleged that Coombs’ actions were motivated by the family’s race and that he burned a cross on property adjacent to the house. According to the press release, the plea agreement indicatedt that Coombs, who is Caucasian, made a remark about having a “house-warming,” and also made derogatory remarks about the visiting family.

• (9-26-2006): Federal Jury Convicts Two for Cross Burning: A federal jury convicted Christopher Mitchell and James Bradley Weems of burning a cross in front of the home of an African-American man in Fouke, Ark. The jury convicted each defendant of one count of conspiracy to violate the victim’s civil rights. The evidence at trial established that Mitchell and Weems, attended a party where they discussed an African-American man who lived nearby, using racial slurs to describe him. The defendants, along with a third man, Christopher Baird, who had pleaded guilty to his role in the offense, used wooden boards to erect a cross. The defendants then planted the cross near the home of the African-American man and lit it on fire. Witnesses testified that as a result of the cross burning, the African-American victim and the family he lived with all moved from their home because they were too frightened to remain in the town.

• (9-2-2004) Two Men Plead Guilty In Kentucky Cross Burning Case: Matthew Scudder, of Florence, Kentucky, who was 18 at the time the crime was committed, and James Foster, of Independence, Kentucky, who was 19, admitted to conspiring to threaten and intimidate an African-American couple and their two children in order to drive them from their Burlington home. Scudder admitted that on July 2, 2004 he burned a wooden cross on the family's lawn. Foster admitted that he helped carry out the plan.

• (6-15-2004) Indianapolis Man Sentenced For Cross Burning: The Justice Department announced the sentencing of Jerry Dean Landis, of Indianapolis, Indiana, to 18 months in prison for his role in a July 2000 cross burning. Landis participated in the building and burning of a cross in the front yard of an African-American family in Indianapolis. Landis admitted that he and his associates took part in the cross burning in order to “send a message” to the family. Since 2001 and up through and including this 2004 prosecution, the Department prosecuted 29 cross burning cases, filing criminal civil rights charges against 46 defendants.

• (2-9-2004) Macomb, Illinois Man Sentenced For Cross Burning Targeting Interracial Couple: Charles Lambert was sentenced to thirty-seven months in prison for his role in a July 2001 cross burning targeting an interracial couple. Forest Hatley, a co-defendant in this case, was previously sentenced to forty-one months imprisonment and three years of supervised release. Lambert and Hatley each admitted that they agreed to burn a cross at a home in Macomb, Illinois where an interracial couple lived. The defendants constructed a cross and doused it with gasoline. The two men then transported the cross to the victims’ yard, planted it in front of the home and ignited it. Lambert and Hatley also admitted this action was taken to intimidate the couple because of the male’s race and because he was living with a person of another race.

• (1-29-2004) Georgia Man Sentenced For Cross Burning In Moultrie: The Justice Department announced the sentencing of Moultrie, Georgia resident Michael Craig Jordan for his role in an April 2002 cross-burning. Jordan pled guilty to criminal civil rights violations in November 2003. He admitted to participating in the April 2002 burning of a wooden cross with the purpose of preventing a biracial African-American and Hispanic couple - as well as their two young children - from moving into the house next door.

KKK Member Gets Ten Months For Perjury In Connection w/ Probe Into Racially Motivated Cross Burning In Alabama That Resulted In Conviction Of Two Others For Criminal Interference w/ Housing Rights Of Another

From the U.S. Department of Justice (Washington, D.C.):

• [Last month], U.S. District Court Judge L. Scott Coogler sentenced Pamela Morris, former secretary of a chapter of the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) in Ozark, Alabama, to 10 months in prison and three years of supervised release for committing perjury during a grand jury’s investigation into a racially motivated cross-burning.
  
  Morris, 47, previously admitted during her plea hearing on June 12, 2014, that she lied to a federal grand jury investigating a cross-burning committed by Steven Joshua Dinkle, Morris’s son and the Exalted Cyclops (president) of the local KKK, and Thomas Smith, another KKK member. On May 8, 2009, Dinkle and Smith burned a six-foot tall cross at the entrance to an African American neighborhood in Ozark to threaten and intimidate residents.
  
  Several witnesses observed and were frightened by the cross, including a young man returning from choir practice as the defendants set the cross ablaze. In sworn testimony before the grand jury, Morris made several false statements, including denying that she had been the secretary of the Klan or involved with the KKK at all.
  
  In pleading guilty, Morris admitted that she had been an officer of the KKK and that her testimony denying any connection to the organization was false. She further acknowledged that she knew Dinkle had committed the cross-burning. In addition, Morris admitted that she testified falsely to prevent the grand jury from learning about other KKK members who had information relevant to the investigation.
  
  Dinkle is currently serving a 24-month sentence imposed on May 15, 2014, for his conviction on hate-crime and obstruction-of-justice charges related to the cross-burning.(1)  Smith, Dinkle’s co-conspirator, was sentenced to five years of probation on Aug. 19, 2014.

For more, see Former Ku Klux Klan Officer Sentenced to 10 Months for Committing Perjury During Cross-Burning Investigation.

Go here for links to other cross burning incidents from the U.S. Justice Department.

(1) Former Alabama KKK Leader Sentenced to Prison for Cross Burning and Obstruction of Justice:

• Dinkle pleaded guilty to hate crime and obstruction of justice charges related to the cross burning. Specifically, he pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to violate housing rights, one count of criminal interference with the right to fair housing and two counts of obstruction of justice.
  
  
  ***
  
  Dinkle admitted that in burning the cross, he intended to scare and intimidate residents of the African-American community by threatening the use of force against them. He further admitted that he burned the cross because of the victims’ race and color and because they were occupying homes in that area.

W. Pennsylvania Feds Score Guilty Plea From Teen In Cross-Burning Conspiracy; Conduct Constitutes An Illegal Interference w/ Housing Rights Of Another

From the U.S. Department of Justice:

• Michael Francis Bealonis, of Robinson, Penn., pleaded guilty [to] a charge related to the burning of a cross in the yard of an African-American juvenile in November 2009, the Justice Department announced []. Bealonis, 19, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to interfere with the housing rights of another in federal court in Pittsburgh before Senior U.S. District Judge Maurice B. Cohill.

• Information presented during the plea hearing established that a cross burning occurred on Nov. 14, 2009, at a residence in Robinson that was home to a family with three minor children, one of whom is African-American and an adopted son of the family.(1)

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• "This teen used an unmistakable symbol of bigotry and hate to threaten a family with violence simply because the race of a child. These incidents have no place in our country, and they are a reminder of the civil rights challenges we still face today," said Thomas E. Perez, Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division. "We will continue to aggressively prosecute hate crimes of this kind."

For the DOJ press release, see Pennsylvania Teen Pleads Guilty for Cross Burning.

Go here for other posts on cross-burning prosecutions.

(1) According to the DOJ press release, the investigation determined that Bealonis and his co-conspirators agreed to burn a cross in the backyard of the home, and used boards to construct a 6-foot wooden cross with athletic socks attached that had been soaked in accelerant. Bealonis and one of his co-conspirators transported the cross to the garage of another co-conspirator, where they poured gasoline on the cross before Bealonis took it, jumped over a fence and carried it to the back yard of the victim’s house, where he pushed the cross into the ground and lit it. He also used racial slurs and expressed racial animus during the cross burning.

Ohio Man Cops Guilty Plea For Role In Cross Burning Conspiracy

From the U.S. Department of Justice:

• Brandon Rhodes, 20, of Marengo, Ohio, pleaded guilty yesterday to a charge related to the burning of a cross in the yard of an African-American juvenile in March 2011, the Justice Department announced [Friday, March 2, 2012].



• Rhodes pleaded guilty to conspiracy to interfere with the housing rights of another in federal court in Columbus, Ohio, before U.S. District Judge Gregory L. Frost.



• Information presented during the plea hearing established that a cross burning occurred on March 2, 2011, at a residence in Bennington Township, Ohio, that was home to an African-American family with three high school children.(1)

For the Justice Department press release, see Ohio Man Pleads Guilty for Cross Burning.

Go here for links to other cross burning incidents from the U.S. Justice Department.

(1) According to the press release, the investigation revealed that Rhodes and his co-conspirator agreed to burn a cross in the backyard of the home of one of the children who resided there. After the six-foot wooden cross was constructed, Rhodes and his co-conspirator transported the cross to the back yard of the African-American family. Rhodes and his co-conspirator wrote “KKK will make you pay” and another racial derogatory term on the cross. Rhodes and his co-conspirator poured gasoline on the cross and, using a cigarette lighter, ignited the cross around midnight.

“A burning cross is a symbol of bigotry and hate and, in this case, it was used to threaten a family. These incidents have no place in our country, and they are a reminder of the civil rights challenges we still face today,” said Thomas E. Perez, Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division. “We will continue to aggressively prosecute hate crimes of this kind.”

Three Guilty Pleas, One Conviction After Louisiana Federal Court Trial In Cross-Burning Conspiracy

From the U.S. Department of Justice:

• The Justice Department announced that U.S. District Judge Donald E. Walter accepted the guilty plea of Jeremy Matthew Moro, 33, for conspiring to burn a cross near the home of an interracial couple in Athens, La., in October 2008. [In February], Judge Walter accepted the guilty plea of Joshua James Moro, 25, on the same charge.

• Another defendant, Sonya Marie Hart, 31, pleaded guilty on Jan. 31, 2011, to misprision of a felony because she withheld information from the FBI regarding the defendants’ attempt to cover up the cross burning. The Moros’ cousin, Daniel Danforth, was previously convicted by a federal jury for organizing, carrying out and attempting to cover up the same cross burning.

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• “Cross burning, unfortunately, remains a terrible symbol of hatred and intolerance. Every citizen has a right to feel safe and secure in their homes and neighborhoods. Intimidation of citizens in this district will not be tolerated. This office will continue to prosecute individuals who participate or facilitate crimes which violate the civil rights laws,” said U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Louisiana Stephanie Finley.

For the DOJ press release, see Three Plead Guilty to Civil Rights Conspiracy in Connection with Cross Burning in Athens, Louisiana.

Go here for other posts on cross-burning prosecutions.

Central Florida Man Gets 37 Months In Prison For Interfering w/ Interracial Couple's Enjoyment Of Their Housing Rights; Criminal Charges Based On Defendant's Role In Connection w/ Halloween Cross Burning In Front Yard Of Victims' Home

From the U.S. Department of Justice (Washington, D.C.):

• TThe Justice Department announced that Pascual Carlos Pietri, 53, of Port Richey, Florida, was sentenced to 37 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Susan C. Bucklew of the Middle District of Florida for his role in a 2012 cross burning. He pleaded guilty on June 30, 2015, to one count of conspiring with others to threaten, intimidate and interfere with an interracial couple’s enjoyment of their housing rights.(1)
  
  “Those who violently threaten others because of racial differences tear at the very fabric of our diverse American society,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Vanita Gupta, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The laws that protect our society leave no place for hate crimes.”
  
  “Cross burning remains a vicious symbol of hatred,” said U.S. Attorney A. Lee Bentley III. “All American families have the right to live where they choose, undisturbed by such racist threats. This prosecution sends a clear message that we will not tolerate hate crimes in our community.”
  
  According to court documents, on Oct. 31, 2012, Pietri was living with another individual on Seward Drive in Port Richey in a predominantly white community. After an interracial couple moved next door, Pietri heard other neighbors make racial slurs and derogatory statements about African-Americans in general, and specifically the African-American neighbor.
  
  On Halloween night, Pietri attended a party at a neighbor’s house, where several Seward Drive residents decided to burn a cross in the African-American man’s yard to intimidate him. Using wood and tools from the host of the Halloween party, Pietri’s co-conspirators constructed a wooden cross and obtained gasoline to pour on the cross. Pietri and a co-conspirator then carried the cross to the victims’ front yard, leaned it against their mailbox and set the cross on fire. Pietri and the co-conspirators burned the cross in the victims’ yard in an effort to intimidate the interracial couple.

Source: Pasco County, Florida, Man Sentenced to Prison for Cross Burning.

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(1) Generally, the period of incarceration for a conviction on a charge of interfering with the housing rights of another is for no more than one year; however, the incarceration period increases to no more than ten years "if bodily injury results from the acts committed in violation of this section or if such acts include the use, attempted use, or threatened use of a dangerous weapon, explosives, or fire...", and can further increase to as long as a life sentence "if death results from the acts committed in violation of this section or if such acts include kidnapping or an attempt to kidnap, aggravated sexual abuse or an attempt to commit aggravated sexual abuse, or an attempt to kill..." 42 U.S. Code § 3631.

Ex-Klansman Gets Nine Months On Charges Involving Interference w/ Housing Rights Of Another; Admitted To Role In Cross Burning Incident In Front Of Interracial Family's Home

From the U.S.Department of Justice (Washington, D.C.):

• [Earlier this month,] Timothy Flanagan, 33, was sentenced to nine months and ordered to pay a $5000 fine in federal court in Nashville, Tennessee, for his role in the April 30, 2012, cross burning in front of an interracial family’s home in Minor Hill, Tennessee, the Department of Justice announced. Flanagan previously pleaded guilty to one count of conspiring with others to threaten, intimidate and interfere with an African-American man’s enjoyment of his housing rights, and one count of interfering with those housing rights.
  
  Flanagan—a former member of the Church of the National Knights, a Ku Klux Klan affiliate—admitted during the plea hearing that on the night of April 30, 2012, he and two other individuals devised a plan to burn a cross in the yard of an African American man in Minor Hill, Tennessee. Flanagan’s co-conspirator, Timothy Stafford, constructed a wooden cross in a workshop behind his house.
  
  Using Flanagan’s credit card, Stafford and co-conspirator Ivan “Rusty” London then purchased diesel-fuel with which to soak the cross. Flanagan and the other co-conspirators then drove the cross to the victim’s residence and, upon arriving at the residence, Flanagan and London exited the truck. The cross was placed in the driveway leading up to the house and was ignited. The co-conspirators burned the cross with the purpose of intimidating the African-American male who resided at that residence.
  
  Timothy Stafford, 41, of Minor Hill, Tennessee, and Ivan “Rusty” London IV, 21, of Lexington, Kentucky, previously pleaded guilty for their roles in the conspiracy, and will be sentenced on March 3, and March 26, respectively.

For more, see Former Klansman Sentenced for Cross Burning.

Go here for links to other cross burning incidents from the U.S. Justice Department.

Civil Rights Feds Pinch Pennsylvania Man For Interference With Another's Housing Rights In Connection With Cross Burning Incident

From the U.S. Department of Justice:

• Ryan M. Held, aka Ryan M. Foley, 20, of Philipsburg, Penn., was indicted on March 27, 2012, by a federal grand jury on charges stemming from a cross burning he committed in August 2010. The indictment was unsealed [Tuesday, April 10, 2012].



• According to the indictment, on or about Aug. 20, 2010, Held burned the cross because a woman was associating with an African-American male within the residence.



• The two-count indictment charges Held with violating the housing rights of the two victims by burning the cross for the purpose of threatening and intimidating the victims in order to interfere with their rights to occupy a dwelling free from racial discrimination.

For the Justice Department press release, see Pennsylvania Man Indicted for Cross Burning.

Go here for links to other cross burning incidents from the U.S. Justice Department.

Central Florida Man Cops Guilty Plea To Criminal Interference w/ Another's Housing Rights For Role In Halloween-Night Cross Burning Incident; Defendant, Others Intended To Intimidate Interracial Couple Into Moving From Home In Predominantly White Community, Say Civil Rights Feds

From the U.S. Department of Justice (Washington, D.C.):

• The Justice Department today [March 10] announced that Thomas Herris Sigler, III, 45, of Port Richey, Florida, pled guilty in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida, Tampa Division, to one count of conspiring with others to threaten, intimidate, and interfere with an interracial couple’s enjoyment of their housing rights, in violation of U.S. Code, Title 18 U.S.C. § 241.
  
  “The defendant threatened and intimidated a couple in their home and neighborhood, denying them of the simple ability to feel safe where they lived, on account of race,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Tom Wheeler of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The Justice Department will continue to vigorously prosecute those who engage in such violent acts.”
  
  “No one should be threatened or intimidated in his home because of his race, color, or creed,” said U.S. Attorney A. Lee Bentley III for the Middle District of Florida. “It is sad that crosses are being burned in front yards in the 21st century. Acts of hatred such as this simply cannot be tolerated under law.”
  
  “Unfortunately, people hold bias and prejudice against others for no apparent reason,” said Special Agent in Charge Paul Wysopal of the FBI Tampa Division. “This case demonstrates people who act out such prejudices will be held accountable. Such behavior is unacceptable.”
  
  According to court documents, in September and October 2012, Sigler was living on Seward Drive in Port Richey in a predominantly white community. After an interracial couple moved next door, Sigler harassed the African-American neighbor with racial slurs and derogatory statements, and on one occasion, physically assaulted him.
  
  On Halloween night, Sigler attended a party at a neighbor’s house, where several Seward Drive residents decided to burn a cross in the front yard of the interracial couple in order to intimidate them and force them to move from the residence. Using wood and tools from the host of the Halloween party, Sigler and his co-conspirators constructed a wooden cross and poured gasoline on the cross. Sigler’s co-conspirators then carried the cross to the victims’ front yard, leaned it against their mailbox, and set the cross on fire.
  
  One of Sigler’s co-conspirators, Pascual Carlos Pietri, pled guilty to the same charge as Sigler in 2015, and was sentenced to 37 months imprisonment on March 23, 2016. A third co-conspirator, William A. Dennis, 56, of Pasco County, Florida, is also charged for his role in the conspiracy.

Source: Pasco County, Florida, Man Pleads Guilty to 2012 Cross Burning.

Go here for other posts on cross-burning prosecutions involving the charge of interference with the housing rights of another.

Cross Burning Incident Results In Federal Felony Charge Against Indiana Man For Interfering With The Housing Rights Of Another

From the U.S. Department of Justice:

• The Justice Department announced that Bruce Mikulyuk, of Mishawaka, Ind., has been indicted by a federal grand jury for charges stemming from a cross burning in September 2007. Mikulyuk made his first court appearance [...] in South Bend, Ind. A trial has been scheduled for Nov. 3, 2009. Mikulyuk was charged with one count of interfering with the housing rights of another and one count of using fire in the commission of a felony. According to the indictment, Mikulyuk burned a cross at the home of an African American man and white woman and returned later with a knife and made threats.

For the Justice Department press release, see Indiana Man Indicted for Cross Burning.

Indiana Man Gets 15 Months For Interference (Cross Burning) With Another's Housing Rights

The U.S. Department of Justice announced earlier this month:

• A federal judge [recently] sentenced Kyle Shroyer of Muncie, Ind., to serve 15 months in prison for his role in burning an eight-foot cross in front of a biracial family’s home, announced [federal officials]. Defendant Kyle Shroyer admitted in September 2007 that he and another man conspired to violate the civil rights of a woman and her three biracial children by burning the cross at their home in Muncie, Ind., in March 2006. At the hearing [...], Shroyer was sentenced to 15 months in prison, three years supervised release, a $500 fine and a $100 special assessment. The judge enhanced the defendant’s sentence because the crime was racially motivated and because several of the victims were unusually vulnerable because of their age.

For more, see Indiana Man Sentenced for Role in Cross-burning.

Tampa Feds Pinch Pair For Alleged Interference With Interracial Couple's Housing Rights; Charge Based On Alleged Halloween Night Cross-Burning In Front Of Victims' Home

From the Office of the U.S. Attorney (Tampa, Florida):

• United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces the unsealing of an indictment charging William A. Dennis (55, Spring Hill) and Thomas Herris Sigler, III (45, Land O’ Lakes) with conspiracy to interfere with an interracial couple’s enjoyment of their constitutionally protected housing rights. Dennis is also charged with making false statements to federal law enforcement officers. If convicted on all counts, Dennis faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in federal prison, and Sigler faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison.
  
  According to the indictment, in 2012, Dennis and Sigler were living on Seward Drive in Port Richey. After an interracial couple moved next door to the house where Sigler was residing, the men repeatedly made racial slurs and racially derogatory statements to the African-American neighbor, which escalated to verbal and physical threats.
  
  On Halloween night, Dennis and Sigler attended a party at a neighbor’s house, where the they and several other Seward Drive residents conspired to burn a cross in the African-American man’s yard to intimidate him. The conspirators constructed a wooden cross and obtained a flammable liquid to pour on the cross. They then carried the cross to the victims’ front yard, leaned it against the victims’ mailbox, and lit the cross on fire.
  
  “Hate-motivated crimes will not be tolerated in our community,” said U.S. Attorney Bentley. “This case underscores our commitment to prosecute those who commit crimes driven by hatred or intolerance.”

Source: Pasco County Men Charged In Cross Burning.

For the indictment, see U.S. v. Dennis, et ano.

3rd Racist Co-Conspirator Pleads Guilty To Criminally Interfering w/ Interracial Couple's Housing Rights; Admits To Role In Halloween Night Cross Burning In Victims' Front Yard In Effort To Force Them To Move From Predominantly White Community

From the U.S. Department of Justice (Washington, D.C.):

• William A. Dennis, 56, of Port Richey, Florida, pleaded guilty in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida, Tampa Division, to one count of conspiring with others to threaten, intimidate, and interfere with an interracial couple’s enjoyment of their housing rights, announced Acting Assistant Attorney General Tom Wheeler of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division and Acting U.S. Attorney W. Stephen Muldrow for the Middle District of Florida.
  
  According to court documents, in September and October 2012, Dennis was living on Seward Drive in Port Richey in a predominantly white community. After an interracial couple moved next door, Dennis joined others in harassing the African-American neighbor with racial slurs and derogatory statements.
  
  On Halloween night, Dennis attended a party at a neighbor’s house, where several Seward Drive residents decided to burn an over six-foot tall cross in the front yard of the interracial couple in order to intimidate them and force them to move from the residence. Using wood and tools from the host of the Halloween party, Dennis and his co-conspirators constructed a wooden cross, and Dennis poured gasoline on the cross. Dennis and a co-conspirator carried the cross to the victims’ front yard, leaned it against their mailbox, and Dennis instructed the co-conspirator to set the cross on fire.
  
  “The defendant and his co-conspirators’ racially-fueled actions to threaten and intimidate a couple in their own home and neighborhood are reprehensible and will not be tolerated in our communities,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Wheeler. “The Justice Department is committed to vigorously prosecuting those who engage in such violent acts of hate.”
  
  “This guilty plea underscores our ongoing commitment to aggressively investigate and prosecute individuals who commit hate crimes,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Muldrow.
  
  “The FBI pledges to remain vigilant in protecting our communities from hateful acts of bias,” said Special Agent in Charge Paul Wysopal of the FBI Tampa Division. “This case is an example of that commitment and determination to investigate crimes of hate and bring the offenders to justice.”
  
  Two of Dennis’ co-conspirators, Thomas H. Sigler, III, and Pascual Carlos Pietri, previously pleaded guilty to the same charge. Pietri was sentenced to 37 months imprisonment, and Sigler’s sentencing date is pending.

Source: Third Conspirator Pleads Guilty to 2012 Florida Cross Burning.

Recent DOJ Actions Involving Housing Rights Violations, Alleged Housing Discrimination

The U.S. Department of Justice has recently issued the following press releases in connection with its efforts in connection with housing rights violations and alleged housing discrimination:

• Arkansas Man Sentenced on Civil Rights Charges in Cross Burning Conspiracy: Dustin Nix of Donaldson, Ark, was sentenced [...] in federal court in Fort Smith, Ark, on federal civil rights charges related to a conspiracy to drive a woman and her children from their home because they associated with African-Americans. [...] Specifically, on June 15, 2008, Nix and the others agreed to construct a cross and burn it in front of the victims’ home. Nix and the others erected the cross in front of the victims’ home and attempted to set it on fire. [...] Nix’s co-conspirators, Jacob A. Wingo, Richard W. Robins, Clayton D. Morrison and Darren E. McKim, pleaded guilty in September 2009, for their roles in the conspiracy. Sentencing for Wingo, Robins, Morrison and McKim has been scheduled for Dec. 7, 2009. (Go here for other DOJ actions involving cross burning incidents).

• Justice Department Obtains $131,500 in Discrimination Settlement with Chattanooga, Tennessee, Apartment Complex: The United States has reached a settlement resolving a housing discrimination lawsuit in Tennessee concerning discrimination against families with children, the Justice Department announced. Under the consent decree, [... the] defendants [...] will pay $131,500 in monetary relief to 15 identified victims and the United States. The Department’s complaint alleged that the owners, property managers, and management company violated the Fair Housing Act by refusing to rent apartments to persons with children, discouraging persons with children from renting dwellings owned and managed by the defendants, steering persons with children to another apartment complex and making statements that discriminated on the basis of familial status. [...] The Department conducted its investigation using fair-housing testers – individuals who pose as renters for purposes of gathering information about possible discriminatory practices in the rental of apartments.

• Justice Department Resolves Lawsuit Alleging Disability-Based Housing Discrimination at 11 Multifamily Housing Complexes in Tennessee, Louisiana, Alabama and Texas: The Justice Department [...] announced a settlement of its lawsuit alleging that those involved in the design and construction of 11 multifamily housing complexes discriminated on the basis of disability. The complexes are located in four states and contain more than 800 units covered by the Fair Housing Act’s accessibility provisions. Under the settlement, which must still be approved by the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Tennessee, 11 defendants will pay all costs related to making the complexes for which they were responsible accessible to persons with disabilities and pay up to $117,000 to compensate individuals harmed by the inaccessible housing. [...] The complaint was originally filed in Memphis, after the United States Attorney received a copy of a survey conducted by the Memphis Center for Independent Living of three of the Memphis properties indicating violations of the Fair Housing Act.

• Justice Department Files Fair Housing Lawsuit in Missouri Against Owner and Managers of Federally-Subsidized Property for Race and Sex Discrimination: The Justice Department announced it has filed a lawsuit [...] alleging a pattern or practice of violations of the Fair Housing Act by the owner and managers of Forum Manor Apartments, a federally-subsidized apartment complex, for refusing to rent to African-Americans and males, refusing to allow tenants to have African-American visitors, sexually harassing female tenants and retaliating against tenants who complained about such discrimination. [...] This lawsuit arose as a result of complaints filed with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) by four tenants.

• Justice Department Lawsuit Charges Atlanta Condominium with Discrimination Against Families with Children: The Justice Department [...] filed a lawsuit against an Atlanta condominium association, as well as the owner of a unit and the real estate agent who sold it, for violating the Fair Housing Act by discriminating against families with children. The lawsuit, [...] charges that the Georgian Manor Condominium Association maintained policies discouraging families with children from living in the Georgian Manor complex [...]. It also charges that the owner of a unit in the complex refused to sell to families with children and that the real estate agents hired to sell the unit, Jennifer Sherrouse and Harry Norman Realtors, publicized the restriction. [...] This lawsuit arose as a result of a complaint filed with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) by a fair housing group.

• Justice Department Sues Chicago Area Landlord for Refusing to Rent to African Americans: The United States has filed a lawsuit against Terence Flanagan, a Chicago area property owner and rental agent, alleging that he refused to rent properties he owned or controlled to African-Americans, in violation of the federal Fair Housing Act, the Justice Department announced. The lawsuit, [...] alleges that Flanagan refused to rent a single-family house he owns in Orland Park, Ill., to Kamal Alex Majeid, who is African-American, because of his race. The lawsuit also alleges that Flanagan asked a white tester employed by the Justice Department whether her husband was African-American and admitted to her that he did not want to rent to African-Americans. The suit further alleges that Flanagan told this tester that he had numerous other rental properties in the Chicago area. This lawsuit resulted from a complaint submitted to the Justice Department by the South Suburban Housing Center, a private suburban Chicago fair housing organization, after it was contacted by Majeid.