23 Year Old Pleads Guilty to Burning Down COGIC Church

The superseding information charged that in the early morning hours  of Nov. 5, 2008, within hours of President Obama being elected, Haskell  and his co-conspirators agreed to burn, and succeeded in burning, the  Macedonia Church of God in Christ's newly constructed building where  religious services were to be held for its predominantly  African-American congregation. The building was 75% completed at the  time of the fire which destroyed the entire structure leaving only the  metal superstructure and a small portion of the front corner intact.  Investigators determined the fire to be incendiary in nature and caused  by an unknown quantity of gasoline applied to the exterior and interior  of the building.

Haskell damaged religious property and obstructed the free exercise  of religious because of the race, color or ethnic characteristics of any  individual associated with that religious property. Haskell conspired  to injure, oppress, threaten and intimidate the parishioners of the  Macedonia Church of God in Christ in the free exercise or enjoyment of  the right to hold and use real property, a right which is secured in the  Constitution and laws of the United States.

"The freedom to practice the religion that we choose in a safe  environment without being subjected to discrimination or hateful acts is  among our nation's most cherished rights," said Thomas E. Perez,  Assistant Attorney General in charge of the Justice Department's Civil  Rights Division. "Anyone who violates that right will be prosecuted to  the fullest extent of the law."

U.S. Attorney Carmen Ortiz of the District of Massachusetts said,  "Today's conviction should send a strong message that hate crimes will  be vigorously investigated and prosecuted in Massachusetts. When I  announced my civil rights initiative earlier this month, I made it clear  that the U.S. Attorney's Office will be reinvigorating its efforts in  this area, and making it one our top priorities."

U.S. District Judge Michael A. Ponsor of Springfield scheduled  sentencing for Sept. 29, 2010. By the terms of the plea agreement,  Haskell faces mandatory sentence of 108 months in prison to be followed  by three years of supervised release and a $7,500 fine.

The case was investigated by Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and  Explosives; FBI; Massachusetts State Police; Hampden County District  Attorney's Office and the Springfield Police Department. It is being  prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Paul H. Smyth and Kevin O'Regan  of Ortiz's Springfield Office and Nicole Lee Ndumele, Trial Attorney in  the Civil Rights Division.

Source: U.S. Department of Justice