COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KOAA) — The third and final person found guilty in the 2023 'hate crime hoax' has been sentenced to 46 months in federal prison, three years of supervised release, and a $200 special assessment.
Derrick Bernard, 36, of Colorado Springs, was found guilty back in May 2023, when the jury found him guilty of conspiracy to defraud the United States and for conveying false information about a threat by using fire.
The case began in April 2023, when Bernard and two others burned a cross in front of now-Mayor Yemi Mobolade's campaign sign that was vandalized with a racial slur.
It was three weeks before the Colorado Springs mayoral runoff election was held.
After staging the cross, Bernard, Ashley Blackcloud, and Deanna West used social media to spread the threat in the weeks leading up to the Colorado Springs mayoral runoff election.
Bernard and Blackcloud then worked together to email Mobolade, media outlets, and other organizations. The email blamed Mobolade's opponent for the crime.
The conspiracy was initially uncovered after the Colorado Springs Police Department (CSPD) gathered surveillance footage around the scene of the cross. The footage revealed three people staging the crime between 2:30 a.m. and 3:30 a.m.
After further investigation, CSPD and the FBI identified Bernard and Blackcloud, self-declared activists and social media personalities, as two of the three suspects.
Ashley Blackcloud was sentenced to one year and one day in federal prison. West, the only one to plead guilty, was sentenced to three years of probation and a $100 fine.
- Watch: Woman guilty of "hate crime hoax" sentenced to federal prison
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