3 indicted on charges related to hate crime hoax during Colorado Springs mayoral election
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) - The Department of Justice (DOJ) announced Tuesday that three people from Colorado Springs have been indicted on charges related to a hate crime hoax during the 2023 Colorado Springs mayoral run-off election.
According to the DOJ, Derrick Bernard Jr., 35, Ashely Blackcloud, 40, and Deanna West, 38, were indicted by a federal grand jury for maliciously conveying false information about a threat made by means of fire: a burning cross in front of a campaign sign defaced with a racial slur.
Court documents showed that the three people allegedly conspired to spread disinformation about the threat.
The 2023 run-off mayoral election was between one candidate who is Black and one who is White. According to the DOJ, the three defendants staged a burning cross at an intersection in Colorado Springs. It was placed in front of a campaign sign for the Black candidate that was defaced with a racial slur. The three then allegedly spread false information about the event through an email from an anonymous source to various news and civic organizations.
The DOJ said that according to court documents, after the initial election but before the run-off, Bernard sent a message to the other defendants in which he explained he was “mobilizing my squad in defense. Black ops style big brother.” He also sent messages referencing a desire to prevent “the klan” from gaining political control of the city.
The DOJ said the investigation into this incident was was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with substantial assistance from the Colorado Springs Police Department.
