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DOJ declined to indict, but questions mount over Colorado Springs mayor’s role in hoax
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Approved, Daily Wire, Local

DOJ declined to indict, but questions mount over Colorado Springs mayor’s role in hoax

By Luke Rosiak | Daily Wire A black radio host convicted of staging burning cross to help sway the election testifies that mayor was in on it. A black media personality was convicted last week of faking a hate crime against Colorado Springs Mayor Yemi Mobolade to gin up votes for him, with the ringleader Derrick Bernard testifying that Mobolade was in on the hoax, and the FBI testifying that the mayor misled agents about his contact with Bernard. Mobolade, who is Nigerian, won the election as a left-leaning independent in the traditional Republican stronghold in 2023 after the n-word was scrawled on one of his campaign signs and a cross set ablaze in front of it. Video of the scene was sent to the media, resulting in a swell of sympathy. At the five-day trial in federal court f...
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Hate crime hoax trial continues with Colorado Springs Mayor Yemi Mobolade on the stand
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Approved, denvergazette.com, Local

Hate crime hoax trial continues with Colorado Springs Mayor Yemi Mobolade on the stand

By Mackenzie Bodell | Denver Gazette DENVER • The openly emotional mayor of Colorado Springs was asked to testify Tuesday about the details of his 2023 mayoral campaign season before and after a hate crime “hoax.” In November, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for Colorado announced that three individuals were indicted by a federal grand jury for “maliciously conveying false information about a threat made by means of fire” to draw support for the eventual mayoral race winner, Yemi Mobolade, who is Colorado Springs’ first elected Black mayor. The indictment alleged the crew staged a hate crime by defacing one of Mobolade’s campaign signs with a racial slur and placing a small burning cross in front in the early hours of April 23, 2023. Videos and photographs of the incident were sent in ...
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Mayor testifies in hate crime ‘hoax’ trial tied to 2023 election incident
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Approved, denvergazette.com, Local

Mayor testifies in hate crime ‘hoax’ trial tied to 2023 election incident

By Mackenzie Bodell | Denver Gazette Right after the defense alleged the hate crime “hoax” that made headlines during the 2023 Colorado Springs mayoral runoff election was an act of “political theater,” Yemi Mobolade, now the city’s mayor, got emotional during his testimony Monday. With only an hour left in the day’s proceedings, the prosecution called Mobolade to the stand. During his testimony, Mobolade teared up at times when identifying Derrick Bernard Jr., in the courtroom and seeing his defaced campaign sign again. In November, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for Colorado announced that three individuals were indicted by a federal grand jury for “maliciously conveying false information about a threat made by means of fire” to draw support for the eventual mayoral race winner, Mob...
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Trial for suspects in mayoral campaign hate crime ‘hoax’ commences Monday
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Approved, denvergazette.com, State

Trial for suspects in mayoral campaign hate crime ‘hoax’ commences Monday

By Mackenzie Bodell | Denver Gazette The federal trial for two of the three suspects facing charges related to a hate crime “hoax” that made headlines during the 2023 Colorado Springs mayoral runoff election is set to begin Monday. In November, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for Colorado announced that 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” to draw support for the eventual mayoral race winner, now Mayor Yemi Mobolade. The indictment states that the hate crime itself involved a burning cross in front of a campaign sign defaced with a racial slur amid the runoff between Mobolade, who is Black, and Wayne Williams, who is White. READ THE...
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Judge denies motion to dismiss in Colorado Springs ‘hate crime hoax’ case
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Approved, KRDO.COM, Local

Judge denies motion to dismiss in Colorado Springs ‘hate crime hoax’ case

By Celeste Springer | KRDO COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) - It's been six months since three people were indicted after allegedly staging a hate crime to help a Black Colorado Springs candidate, Mayor Yemi Mobolade, win an election. On Friday, a judge denied a motion to dismiss, signalling that the case will move forward and ultimately be heard by a jury. In April 2023, just before the Colorado Springs mayoral election, video of a burning cross in front of then-candidate Yemi Mobolade's campaign sign was sent to media outlets. The sign had also been painted with the "n-word." The event was thought to be a racially motivated attack on Mobolade, who was a Black candidate running against a white opponent. According to court records, investigators believe Derrick Berna...
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