2011 MLK Day Hate Crime Prevented; Case Solved

On January 17, 2011, as hundreds of people gathered (above) in downtown Spokane to participate in the Martin Luther King Jr. Day Unity March, Kevin Harpham placed a backpack bomb (inset) along the parade route on Main Avenue. The graphic shows the likely direction of the blast had the bomb detonated.

Had his homemade bomb gone off—one he had diabolically constructed using shrapnel coated with a substance meant to keep blood from clotting in wounds—Kevin Harpham would have undoubtedly caused the death and injury of many people at last year’s Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Unity March in Spokane, Washington.



Instead, Harpham was eventually caught and recently sentenced to 32 years in prison for a hate crime and other offenses related to the attempted bombing. The case illustrates how a quick response by citizens and local law enforcement averted a tragedy, and how teamwork and time-tested investigative techniques led to the apprehension of an individual who has shown no remorse for his actions.

“Clearly he intended to detonate the device, cause mass carnage, and then survey the devastation,” said Special Agent Frank Harrill, who supervised the investigation. “Harpham was acting out against what he termed multiculturalism, but his hatred was firmly rooted in violent white supremacy. This was a prototypical hate crime.”

On January 17, 2011, as hundreds of people gathered in downtown Spokane to participate in the march, Harpham placed his backpack bomb along the parade route at Washington Street and Main Avenue. Alert city workers discovered the suspicious backpack before the march started, and Spokane Police Department officials changed the route as a precaution. The Spokane Police and Sheriff’s Office bomb squad was called in, and their precision in disarming the device enabled evidence to be preserved that would help lead FBI agents to Harpham.

The FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF) in Spokane immediately began an investigation, and JTTF members canvassed the region for batteries and other components similar to those used in the bomb. Within a month, in a small town about 60 miles north of Spokane, they discovered that a local outlet of a large retail chain was selling the same kind of fishing weights Harpham had used as shrapnel.


A Bomb Designed to Kill
Kevin Harpham had been an artilleryman in the Army, and the bomb he meticulously constructed—using 128 fishing weights for shrapnel, each coated with an anticoagulant commonly found in rat poison—was not a typical improvised explosive device (IED).

“JTTF members on this investigation have had experience on many other bombing cases both here and abroad,” said Special Agent Joe Cleary, who worked alongside other agents, evidence technicians, and intelligence analysts on the Harpham case. “But none of us had ever seen this type of bomb in the U.S.”

Cleary explained that most IEDs are triggered with fuses or timers. “This was command-detonated,” he said. “Harpham designed it so he could remotely control when the blast would occur and the direction in which the shrapnel would fly. He placed the bomb so it would explode directly across the line of the march, thereby inflicting maximum damage to the marchers. This was a weapon of mass destruction.”

When bomb experts from the FBI Laboratory reconstructed the device and detonated it, the results were sobering, Cleary said. “The shrapnel exploded with such a high velocity that some targets in the shape of humans were blown over, and a metal filing cabinet was perforated—it was filled with holes.”

“Harpham intended to use this extremely lethal weapon on individuals solely because of their race and perhaps their religion,” Cleary said. “His plan was to wreak havoc on a crowd of innocents.”

Store records showed there had been three large purchases of the weights in recent months—two were paid for in cash, but a debit card was used in one transaction, and it belonged to Harpham. At the same time, the FBI Laboratory had been working to extract a DNA sample from the backpack which was later matched to Harpham through his military records.

Investigators also learned of Harpham’s white supremacy postings on the Internet and his affiliation with a neo-Nazi group called the National Alliance.

Because he lived in a remote, relatively inaccessible area and was likely heavily armed, our Hostage Rescue Team devised a ruse to lure Harpham out of his house. He was arrested March 9, 2011 without incident—but as agents suspected, he was armed when taken into custody.

“Kevin Harpham was the lone wolf that all of us in law enforcement dread,” Harrill said. “He lived alone and he worked alone, and he didn’t foreshadow the bombing plot in any meaningful way. He targeted those who were attempting to celebrate an event meant to unite society,” Harrill added, “and he was prepared to indiscriminately kill men, women, and children.”

Harrill credited teamwork and strong partnerships for stopping Harpham and bringing him to justice. “From the workers who noticed the device to the police response, the JTTF investigation, the expertise of the FBI Laboratory, and the prosecuting skill of the U.S. Attorney’s office—everything worked just as it should have.”

http://www.fbi.gov/news/stories/2012/january/hatecrime_011312

Listen FBI Special Agent Frank Harrill Discusses the Case: http://www.fbi.gov/news/podcasts/inside/mlk_case.mp3/view

There is a growing intolerance around the World Gary to various groups, anti-semitic, anti-muslim , anti-black and I suppose the Klu Klux Klan is still
operating in the Southern States of America. The World truly is in turmoil, I read the other day that there are currently 300 Wars going on around the
world right now.

Panda wrote:
There is a growing intolerance around the World Gary to various groups, anti-semitic, anti-muslim , anti-black and I suppose the Klu Klux Klan is still
operating in the Southern States of America. The World truly is in turmoil, I read the other day that there are currently 300 Wars going on around the
world right now.

I know what you mean, you can feel it everywhere in Europe as well, started in Greece several years ago by turmoils etc. And also every Country in Europe is turning more and more nationalistic as well. The world is going into a bad direction, and i believe that if some nation who has nuclear power, will shoot a bomb, all the others will shoot as well. Probably this will turn into a 3rd worldwar...

Gary Dee wrote:

Panda wrote:
There is a growing intolerance around the World Gary to various groups, anti-semitic, anti-muslim , anti-black and I suppose the Klu Klux Klan is still
operating in the Southern States of America. The World truly is in turmoil, I read the other day that there are currently 300 Wars going on around the
world right now.

I know what you mean, you can feel it everywhere in Europe as well, started in Greece several years ago by turmoils etc. And also every Country in Europe is turning more and more nationalistic as well. The world is going into a bad direction, and i believe that if some nation who has nuclear power, will shoot a bomb, all the others will shoot as well. Probably this will turn into a 3rd worldwar...

I sincerely hope not, it would be a Nuclear War this time which would mean the end of Planet Earth and it's inhabitants.

Panda wrote:

Gary Dee wrote:

Panda wrote:
There is a growing intolerance around the World Gary to various groups, anti-semitic, anti-muslim , anti-black and I suppose the Klu Klux Klan is still
operating in the Southern States of America. The World truly is in turmoil, I read the other day that there are currently 300 Wars going on around the
world right now.

I know what you mean, you can feel it everywhere in Europe as well, started in Greece several years ago by turmoils etc. And also every Country in Europe is turning more and more nationalistic as well. The world is going into a bad direction, and i believe that if some nation who has nuclear power, will shoot a bomb, all the others will shoot as well. Probably this will turn into a 3rd worldwar...

I sincerely hope not, it would be a Nuclear War this time which would mean the end of Planet Earth and it's inhabitants.

Who knows, could fit... http://www.farmandranchguide.com/entertainment/country_living/farm_wife_diary/the-hidden-message-behind-the-mayan-calendar/article_340c1636-aa72-11e1-ad4e-001a4bcf887a.html

The hidden message behind the Mayan calendar
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this is the link Gary posted, the lady has a good sense of humour.


1
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Posted: Wednesday, May 30, 2012 11:11 am

By DOREEN ROSEVOLD | 1 comment




In case you missed this important piece of information, the world is going to end on Dec. 21, 2012. At least that is what some believe. I thought you might be interested in case you were thinking about starting a diet, or making a quilt, or making travel plans. You might want to speed some things up a little or skip some things all together. We all have some pretty major decisions to make in the near future, perhaps.

I guess the belief that the world will end on this particular date is based, for the most part, on the Mayan calendar. I’ve been thinking about this and there seems to be a flaw in this concept. If the Mayans were so smart, why aren’t they still around? But I tend to be a little cynical about even matters of great importance.




As the story goes, the Mayan calendar, which has proven to be quite accurate to this point, suddenly stops on Dec. 21, 2012. Many believe this indicates that time does not go on after that point. I think what really happened is that when the calendar maker was working on the calendar, his wife called him to lunch and then made him take out the garbage and then his son got in trouble at school, and then the lawn needed mowing and well ... he forgot what he was doing and just never got back to it again. That’s how things usually happen in the real world.

I wish I knew for sure, though. If the world is coming to an end on Dec. 21, I would proceed a little differently than usual. It would make planning for the future so much easier and a lot more fun if I knew that the end of everything was that near.

For example, I would spend like crazy on Christmas shopping this year (using credit cards, of course). Anything anybody wanted, I would buy for them. Then we’d celebrate Christmas in September or October so that we would get some good use out of the stuff before ... well ... you know. A new car? Sure ... here you go! A fancy cellphone? Why not! Forty pairs of shoes in different colors? (Maybe I’ll do that anyway. Some things should just happen even if the world doesn’t end.) And I wouldn’t take the time to register any of the products so that they could be covered under warranty. Who needs a warranty in such a situation?

Other things would change too. Fretting over finding a way to fund a Roth IRA for retirement would be over. Mumbling about the possible end of Social Security would be a thing of the past. So would the guilt over never finishing the kids’ baby books and that silly goal of having them done by the time they turn 40. The presidential candidates and their advertising would just be comical.

Other worries would just be abandoned under such circumstances as the world ending in a few months. That pesky rash on the back of my knee? No cause for concern. That cruel comment made by the girl in my 7th grade class several decades ago but never forgotten? Forgotten. That basket of mending with the thin layer of dust on the top? In a dumpster.

I would do many things differently if I knew for sure that the Mayans had meant to send a clear message to the people of my day and I could be sure they knew what they were talking about. Some of the things would be pretty simple – like timing my laundry use so that I used my last underwear on December 21. Who wants to do laundry any more than necessary? I’d probably buy a lot of chocolate, too, and forget about fiber as I got closer to doomsday.

Dec. 1st could come and with it the monthly bills and I’d simply laugh and put a lighter to them in the kitchen sink and we would roast marshmallows with my good forks. I would probably even be gardening right now with my best clothes on, mindless of stains and tearing. And the garden would only have enough in it to eat fresh. And I think I would start smoking, just for the fun of it.

Some things I would do would probably be kind of complicated, like traveling the world in a very short time or attempting to build a career as an actress in a couple of weeks. I might also try to see how many credit cards I could get and then max them out. Oh ... wait ... I’ve already done that one. I would try to eliminate worrying about anything though, as that would seem just plain silly under the circumstances.

Whether the Mayans meant to tell us the world will end on Dec. 21, 2012, or not, they have managed to send a message to the people of my time. They have helped me realize that many of the stresses in life are the result of actually having a future.

That seems a little ironic, doesn’t it?

In the early 1920s, JWs zealously distributed on the streets and from door to door a book titled Millions Now Living Will Never Die. It was prophesied, "The year 1925 is a date definitely and clearly marked in the Scriptures, even more clearly than that of 1914 ... we may confidently expect that 1925 will mark the return of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and the faithful prophets of old ... to the condition of human perfection" ("Millions Now Living Will Never Die," The Watchtower, 7/15/24, p. 89). The JWs even built a house in San Diego where the patriarchs were to live and tried to deed it to King David. (The house was quietly sold in 1954.) In the early 1940s, JWs were declaring that Armageddon, only months away, would end World War II and the defeat of the Nazis would usher in God's rule on earth (The Watchtower, 12/41). Their book, Children, suggested that plans to marry and have children be postponed until after Armageddon. It's been a long wait! Not giving up, they later prophesied that God's millennial kingdom would commence in 1975. Again JWs were told not to engage in any plans for this world, including marriage and having children. Many quit their jobs, sold their homes, and dedicated themselves to going door to door. (Source: 3/97, The Berean Call.) All in all, the Watchtower has predicted the end of the world for 1914, 1918, 1925, 1975, and 1989.

Now, it seems, all millennial bets are off. In last month's issue of the Watchtower, the sect's leaders quietly acknowledged that Jesus was right in the first place, when he said that "no one knows the day or the hour." All previous references to timetables for Armageddon, the magazine now suggests, were speculation rather than settled doctrine. The year 1914 still marks the beginning of the last days. But those who hoped to witness the battle of Armageddon and the establishment of God's kingdom on earth will have go wait. Henceforth, any generation that experiences such calamities as war and plagues like AIDS could be the one to witness the end times. In short, the increasingly middle-class Witnesses would do well to buy life insurance.

If this serious revision of expectations takes the edge off the Witnesses apocalyptic profile, it also buys them time. The generation that was alive in 1914 is rapidly disappearing, and the sect's current leadership shows every sign of digging in for the long haul. In recent years the Witnesses have been on a building spree: they just completed a 670-acre educational center in rural New York state that includes 624 apartments, garages for up to 800 cars and a dining facility that accommodated 1,600 people at one sitting. Officials of the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society (the Witnesses' official title) deny that the leadership felt a generational pressure to change. "The end is still close," says Witnesses spokesman Bob Pevy. "We just can't put numbers on Jesus' words."

Still waiting then ?

You seem to know a lot about JW's Lioned ......are you a convert??

I used to spend a little time talking to them on the doorstep until the day I asked if God created the world, why do we have all these different people
with varying features and skin colour. The Guy said......wait for it.!! Adam was born with 7 different pigmentations.

If you look back at History, most Wars have been because of rreligion.....the Middle East is a prime example with the sunniies annd shiites at war in
Libya for starters. Christians and Jews fought for years , Catholics and Protestants. Iv"e always found it strange that all these religions share a "God"
who is supposed to bring out the best in the believers yet these same worshippers are so intolerant of others beliefs.

Panda wrote:

If you look back at History, most Wars have been because of rreligion.....the Middle East is a prime example with the sunniies annd shiites at war in
Libya for starters. Christians and Jews fought for years , Catholics and Protestants. Iv"e always found it strange that all these religions share a "God"
who is supposed to bring out the best in the believers yet these same worshippers are so intolerant of others beliefs.

I'm not sure if Islam brings out what I'd call 'the best,' in believers. The Qur'An teaches to kill Christians and Jews wherever they are found. I don't call that 'the best.'

The Bible - particularly the Old Testament - isn't much better when it comes to preaching hate!

Thank God I'm an atheist!

AnnaEsse wrote:

Panda wrote:

If you look back at History, most Wars have been because of rreligion.....the Middle East is a prime example with the sunniies annd shiites at war in
Libya for starters. Christians and Jews fought for years , Catholics and Protestants. Iv"e always found it strange that all these religions share a "God"
who is supposed to bring out the best in the believers yet these same worshippers are so intolerant of others beliefs.

I'm not sure if Islam brings out what I'd call 'the best,' in believers. The Qur'An teaches to kill Christians and Jews wherever they are found. I don't call that 'the best.'

Islam is a harsh religion, nothing merciful when cutting someone.s hand off for stealing , stoning women for infidelity the scary thing is that this religion is on the increase while Christianity is on tthe wane.

Not Born Yesterday wrote:The Bible - particularly the Old Testament - isn't much better when it comes to preaching hate!

Thank God I'm an atheist!

Atheists do not thank God...

It was of course an attempt to be humorous!

Not Born Yesterday wrote:It was of course an attempt to be humorous!

The most horrible acts have been committed in the name of God. I was raised a Catholic but I am perfectly aware of the terrible things that have happened in the name of the God I was raised to respect and believe in. As far as I'm concerned religions are not a problem. Fundamentalists are. And they are all over the place. Religion, politics, sports, etc.

WASHINGTON—The Justice Department announced today that a federal grand jury in Houston has indicted Charles Cannon, 26; Michael McLaughlin, 40; Brian Kerstetter, 32; and Joseph Staggs, 49, on federal hate crime charges related to a racially motivated assault of a 29-year-old African-American man.

Cannon, McLaughlin, Kerstetter, and Staggs have been charged with one count of violating the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act that was enacted in October 2009. The indictment alleges that on Aug.13, 2011, the defendants approached and attacked the victim, an African-American male, while he was waiting at a bus stop in downtown Houston. It is alleged that at least one of the defendants used racial slurs and all four defendants surrounded and attacked the victim by punching and kicking him about the face, head and body. Three defendants had tattoos known to reflect an affiliation with white supremacist gangs. All four subjects were arrested at the scene after a 911 call.



If convicted, the defendants face a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.

This case is being investigated by the Houston Division of the FBI in cooperation with the Houston Police Department and the Harris County Sheriff’s Office. It is being prosecuted by Trial Attorney Saeed Mody and Special Litigation Counsel Gerard Hogan of the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice. Assistance was also provided by the Harris County District Attorney’s Office.

An indictment is merely an accusation, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty.

http://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/2012/January/12-crt-072.html



4 charged with hate crime in Houston bus stop beating

A federal grand jury has indicted four white men in a racially motivated attack on an African-American last summer at a bus stop, the first prosecution in the Houston region under a tough hate crime law, FBI officials said Thursday.

Stephen Morris, special agent-in-charge of the Houston FBI office, said the federal law gives investigators and prosecutors expanded authority to go after hate crimes. With a maximum 10-year prison term, the penalties are more severe than state law.

Charged Wednesday with federal crimes are Charles Cannon, 26; Michael McLaughlin, 40; Brian Kerstetter, 32; and Joseph Staggs, 49. All four were already in Harris County jail on misdemeanor assault charges stemming from the attack.

They are accused of a viciously assaulting Houston resident Yondell Johnson, 29, who was waiting for a bus when they allegedly approached him and asked if he had the time. They quickly began to use racial epithets and pummelled him as he lay on the ground in downtown Houston, police said. They are accused of using the N-word as they beat Johnson.

"I'm just glad it's finally coming to an end, and justice is finally starting to be served," Johnson said Thursday. "If they get leniency with the feds, that means they'll say we can go out there and do it again."

Important legal tool

Morris said the four were charged under the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, which was passed in October 2009. The law gives the FBI authority to investigate violent crime, including violence directed at the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community, as well as crimes committed because of gender, race, color, religion or national origin.

"It's not only a significant enhancement of civil rights legislation, it also provided an additional tool for law enforcement to use in investigating civil rights violations or violent crimes that are rooted in hate," Morris said.

Johnson said four loud, shirtless white men came up to a bus stop shortly before midnight Aug. 13 at the corner Travis and McKinney. He was waiting to catch the bus after spending the day visiting his 12-year-old daughter.

Johnson recalled one man asked him, "Hey bro, you got the time?"

Johnson said he did not, and then heard a second man berate the first.

"Why are you calling a (N-word) a bro?" Johnson recalled.

Victim feared for life

Sensing he was going to be attacked, Johnson stood up and backed against a pole. Johnson, who is an amateur boxer, was able to hold off his assailants for about 10 minutes, but one of them grabbed him by the ankles and pulled him down. As one man held him down, the other three stomped and kicked his face.

"I couldn't believe this was happening. I thought I was on my way to dying especially when they got me on the ground," Johnson said. "At first I thought the (police) would be there to break it up, but there was no one in sight. I was lying on the ground, and I saw blood coming out of my nose and mouth. The only thing I had in my head was survival - I prayed God I could make it."

Official said three of the suspects had white supremacist tattoos.

At a news conference in downtown Thursday, Johnson was accompanied by self-professed community activist Quanell X, who hailed the federal charges but was critical of the Harris County District Attorney's Office.

"We applaud the Department of Justice and the federal government for bringing historic hate crimes against these individuals who were charged with beating and attacking" Johnson, Quanell said, contending that local prosecutors could have brought a hate charge but chose not to.



However, court records show that last August state prosecutors notified defense attorneys for three of the four defendants they would be enhancing the misdemeanor assault charges to a hate crime during their trial. Under Texas law, the enhancement does not extend the one-year maximum jail term but increases the minimum sentence served to six months in jail.

"The federal authorities approached our office with an interest in these cases shortly after state charges were filed," said Jim Leitner, first assistant district attorney. "State and federal attorneys and law enforcement officers worked hand in hand preparing these cases for indictment and trial."

FBI Agent Kristin Rehler, supervisor of the agency's civil rights squad, confirmed the Houston office is investigating three other hate crimes. She and other FBI agents encouraged victims to report similar crimes to their office.

"We need the people out there to let us know what is going on," Rehler said.

http://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/article/Four-men-charged-with-federal-hate-crimes-in-2633283.php

Jailed: The Neo Nazis who shaved swastika on man's head and branded his arm

First Defendants Charged Under the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act




WASHINGTON—Paul Beebe and Jesse Sanford of Farmington, N.M., were sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Santa Fe, N.M., on federal hate crime charges related to a racially motivated assault on a 22-year-old developmentally disabled man of Navajo descent, the Department of Justice announced. Beebe was sentenced to eight-and-a-half years in prison followed by three years’ supervised release. Sanford was sentenced to five years in prison followed by three years’ supervised release. A third defendant, William Hatch, of Fruitland, N.M., previously pleaded guilty in June 2011 to conspiracy to commit a federal hate crime. Hatch has not yet been sentenced.

Beebe, Hatch, and Sanford were indicted by a federal grand jury in November 2010 on one count of conspiracy and one count of violating the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act (Shepard/Byrd Act). They were the first defendants ever to be charged under this law, which was enacted in October 2009. Beebe pleaded guilty to one count of violating the Shepard/Byrd Act, and Sanford pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit a violation of the Shepard/Byrd Act.

“The sentence imposed today by the court reflects the hateful and heinous nature of the defendants’ actions, and serves as a reminder of courage of the victim who survived those acts and reported these crimes,” said Thomas E. Perez, Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division. “The Justice Department will not tolerate violent racially motivated assaults and will continue to work cooperatively with our state and local partners to aggressively enforce the Shepard/Byrd Hate Crimes Prevention Act.”

“Today the court sentenced Paul Beebe and Jesse Sanford to significant terms of imprisonment for the inexcusable crime of assaulting, branding, and scarring a young man simply because he happened to be a Native American,” said Kenneth J. Gonzales, U.S. Attorney for the District of New Mexico. “Violence motivated by racial or ethnic hatred exacerbates fear and tears at the fabric of our society. Here in New Mexico, where we celebrate our ethnic, racial, and cultural diversity, I will continue to work with the FBI to vigorously investigate and prosecute acts of violence that are motivated by hatred of another’s race or ethnic heritage.”

“Today’s sentencing is the result of the hard work of FBI special agents and our law enforcement partners, who were committed to pursuing justice until the perpetrators of this hate crime answered for their actions. But the fight against acts of hatred and intolerance goes on,” said Carol K.O. Lee, Special Agent in Charge of the Albuquerque Division of the FBI. “The Albuquerque FBI Division will continue to work with our federal, state and local law enforcement colleagues to investigate hate crimes, the number one priority of our civil rights program.”

During their plea hearing in August 2011, Beebe and Sanford admitted that Beebe took the victim to his apartment, which was adorned in racist paraphernalia, including a Nazi flag and a woven dream catcher with a swastika in it. After the victim had fallen asleep, the defendants began defacing the victim’s body by drawing on him with blue, red, and black markers. Once the victim awoke, Beebe branded the victim, who sat with a towel in his mouth, by heating a wire hanger on a stove and burning the victim’s flesh, causing a permanent deep impression of a swastika in his skin. The defendants used a cell phone to create a recording of the victim in which they coerced him to agree to be branded.

The defendants also admitted that they defaced the victim’s body with white supremacist and anti-Native American symbols, including shaving a swastika in the back of the victim’s head and using markers to write the words “KKK” and “White Power” within the lines of the swastika. The defendants further mocked the victim’s heritage by drawing an ejaculating penis and testicles on the victim’s back, telling him that they were drawing his “native pride feathers,” all the while recording the incident on a cell phone to later play for law enforcement, as “proof” that the victim consented to their acts.

The prosecution of these defendants was the result of a cooperative effort between the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Mexico, the U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division and the San Juan, N.M., County District Attorney’s Office. This case was investigated by the Albuquerque Division of the FBI in cooperation with the Farmington Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Roberto Ortega for the District of New Mexico and Special Litigation Counsel Gerard Hogan and Trial Attorney Fara Gold of the Civil Rights Division.

http://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/2012/January/12-crt-106.html



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Jailed: The Neo Nazis who shaved swastika on man's head and branded his arm

Two neo-Nazi thugs have been jailed for branding a swastika into the skin of a man with learning difficulties with a searing hot coat hanger.

Sadistic Paul Beebe, 28, and Jesse Sanford, 26, were sentenced to eight and a half years and five years in prison respectively, for their part in the brutal attack which lasted for several hours.

Beebe and Sanford lured vulnerable Vincent Kee, 22, to Beebe's swastika-bedecked apartment in Farmington, New Mexico, on April 29, 2010 and tortured him for hours.



They put a towel in his mouth to stop his screams and used a wire hanger heated on the stove to brand a swastika into his arm.
Paul Beebe, 28, jailed for eight and a half years, for the brutal attack
Jesse Sanford, 26, will serve five years in prison



They also shaved a swastika into his hair and wrote 'KKK' and 'White Power' on his body.

They recorded the incident with a cellphone camera, the New York Daily News reports.

'The facts of this case shock the conscience,' said Thomas Perez, Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division.



Speaking last year when Beebe and Sanford pleaded guilty, New Mexico's U.S. Attorney, Kenneth Gonzales said: 'The young victim in this case was assaulted, branded and scarred because he happens to be a Native American - that simply is inexcusable and criminal.'

'Today's guilty pleas demonstrate the law enforcement community's resolve to bring to justice anyone who victimizes a person because of the colour of their skin or ethnic heritage.'

A third defendant has yet to be sentenced after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit a federal hate crime.

They are the first defendants to be prosecuted under a new U.S. federal hate crimes law pleading guilty in Albuquerque, to violating the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act.

The act was signed into law by President Obama in 2009

Once released, the pair will be supervised for three years by authorities.

The new hate crimes law is named for Matthew Shepard, the gay Wyoming teenager who was tortured and left to die tied to a fence post, and James Byrd Jr., the black Texas man who was chained to a pickup truck by the ankles and dragged two miles to his death.

Mr Perez said more than 80 investigations are ongoing under the new law.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2092022/Jailed-The-Neo-Nazis-shaved-swastika-mans-head-branded-arm.html

Panda wrote:
and I suppose the Klu Klux Klan is still
operating in the Southern States...

Bradley Branscum, 23, and Tony Branscum, 26, Sentenced in Cross-Burning Case





WASHINGTON—Bradley Branscum, 23, and Tony Branscum, 26, who are first cousins, of Salado, Ark., and Curtis Coffee, 19, of Batesville, Ark., were sentenced for charges relating to their roles in burning a cross in the yard of an African-American resident on Aug. 28, 2010. Tony Branscum was sentenced on Jan. 20, 2012, to 18 months in prison. Bradley Branscum and Curtis Coffee were sentenced today. Bradley Branscum was sentenced to seven months in prison and Curtis Coffee was sentenced today to 18 months in prison.

On Aug. 28, 2010, the three men and a juvenile constructed a cross, placed it in the yard of an African-American resident of Salado, and lit it on fire. The defendants then drove away. The resident did not suffer injury, and his home was not damaged. All three men had previously pleaded guilty in this case to interfering with the housing rights of another.

“The defendants acted to instill fear because of the victim’s race,” said Thomas E. Perez, Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division. “The Department of Justice remains committed to protecting our communities from such violence and will continue to aggressively prosecute these acts.”

This case was investigated by the FBI and prosecuted by AUSA John Ray White, of the U.S. Attorney’s Office, and Trial Attorney Cindy Chung of the Civil Rights Division.

http://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/2012/January/12-crt-126.html



-------------------------------------------------

My opinion: No wonder, their name includes the word SCUM (Branscum)....

Morning Gary, are you American? I ask because most of your posts are about crimes in the U.S., I have friends in New Jersey.

Religious intolerance is rife around the World and increasing withe the globalisation of people and the old maxim "when in Rome do as the Romans do"
does not apply any more. All the problems in the Middle East stem from religious intolerance.

Panda wrote:

Morning Gary, are you American?

Yep, but i am living in Europe right now

Gary Dee wrote:

Panda wrote:

Morning Gary, are you American?

Yep, but i am living in Europe right now

This Forum's fame is spreading !!!! were you just browsing and came across this Forum, noted the intellectual quality of it's Members and decided to
join.???

Panda wrote:

Gary Dee wrote:

Panda wrote:

Morning Gary, are you American?

Yep, but i am living in Europe right now

This Forum's fame is spreading !!!! were you just browsing and came across this Forum, noted the intellectual quality of it's Members and decided to
join.???

No, i used to work part time for http://www.namus.gov/ , and stumbled upon here in that way