Hate-crime hoax: Suspects charged with staging cross-burning to boost Black candidate

DENVER — Three people were indicted on federal charges that accuse them of staging a cross-burning to generate support for a Black mayoral candidate in Colorado Springs in what prosecutors described as a hate-crime hoax.

Derrick Bernard Jr., 35; Ashley Blackcloud, 40, and Deanna West, 38, burned the cross, spray-painted an adjacent campaign sign with a racial slur; recorded the scene, and sent the video to the media anonymously, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for Colorado.

The incident occurred April 23, 2023, two weeks before the May 16 runoff between businessman Yemi Mobolade, whose campaign sign was defaced, and former Secretary of State Wayne Williams.

Mr. Mobolade won the runoff, becoming the first Black mayor of Colorado Springs.

The cross-burning gained state and local media coverage and was denounced by local NAACP chapters, although Mr. Mobolade raised questions early on about the incident’s authenticity.

“We do not know if the photo is of real events or if it was staged/created,” Mr. Mobolade said in an April 2023 statement to KOAA-TV in Colorado Springs. “Either way, it’s reprehensible.”

The defendants each face charges of attempting to defraud the United States and “maliciously conveying false information about a threat made by means of fire,” said the federal press release.

The indictment said that Bernard, who is now serving a life sentence for murder, sent a message to Mr. Mobolade via Facebook on April 13, 2023, saying that he would be “mobilizing his squadron” ahead of the runoff vote.

“I know it’s crunch time sir but look … I spoke with some of my friends in other places and theirs [sic] a plot amidst … I’m mobilizing my squadron in defense and for the final push. Black ops style big brother. The klan cannot be allowed to run this city again,” Bernard said in the message.

After staging the cross-burning, the three “allegedly spread false information about the event through an email from an anonymous source to various news and civic organizations,” the attorney general’s office said.

Bernard texted Mr. Mobolade later that day, saying, “I guarantee the finish.” They also spoke on the phone for five minutes on April 26, 2023, the indictment said.

HATE CRIME HOAX

Three people from Colorado Springs are facing federal charges over a hate crime hoax during the 2023 Mayoral Runoff Election. Tap for the latest. https://t.co/Dge4iaHnPk

— KOAA News5 (@KOAA) November 13, 2024

Mr. Mobolade said after the indictment was released that the incident “led to a very traumatic time for my family, my campaign team, and our community.”

“My knowledge and interaction with Bernard was as a local media personality, and I was not aware at the time that he was suspected of this crime,” he said in a Wednesday statement.

“I appreciate local and federal law enforcement’s work in pursuing justice and sending a message that we will not tolerate such reprehensible behavior,” he said.

A city spokesperson said in a Thursday email that “none of the suspects listed in the indictment worked for the Mayor’s campaign.”

Just last week, Bernard was found guilty by a jury of ordering the 2019 murder of William Underwood, an aspiring local rapper who went by the name “FYL Jackk,” the Colorado Springs Gazette reported.

Bernard is expected to appear in court after transferring to federal custody, while Ms. Blackcloud made her initial court appearance Tuesday before a magistrate judge in Denver. Ms. West is a fugitive.

Mr. Williams, a Republican who previously served on the Colorado Springs City Council, said there were “many false accusations made against me during my campaign for Colorado Springs mayor and this smear attempt was the most egregious.”

“I applaud the efforts of the US Attorney’s Office to hold the alleged perpetrators of this dangerous false flag operation accountable,” he said in a statement to KOAA-TV.

“This event illustrates how far some will go to spread election disinformation. Too often, such actions are used as a pretext for violence. Hopefully, this indictment will deter others and help set us on a course toward returning to civil discourse,” he said.