Federal Hate Crime Convictions Announced

In a July 23, 2009 U. S. Department of Justice (”DOJ”) Press Release, the DOJ announced that a jury in Boise, Idaho recently convicted two men on federal hate crime and conspiracy charges in connection with the racially-motivated assault of an African American man outside of a store in July 2008.  According to the DOJ Press Release, evidence revealed that on July 4, 2008, three men using racial slurs ambushed, chased and beat a 24 year-old African American man as he walked out of a store in Nampa, Idaho.  A U. S. attorney was quoted in the Press Release as saying that “These convictions mean that racial crimes will not be tolerated, not in this country, not on any day.”  Two of the defendants each face a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.  A third defendant pleaded guilty before trial and testified against the other two defendants.