Hate Crime Perpetrator Pleads Guilty

2009-02-05 05:19:35 (GMT) (WiredPRNews.com - Law, News)

Man upset at Obama win goes on rampage and commits assault.

WiredPRNews.com – A New York man accused of hate crime attacks on election night pled guilty to the charges on Monday. As reported by the Associated Press (AP), 18 year-old Ralph Nicoletti admitted to leading an attack on people he believed were Obama supporters after becoming enraged by President Obama’s election win in November.

Nicoletti is quoted as stating in court, “I was drunk. I was angry” and went along with premade plans to “go after black people” if Obama won the election. Three others accompanied the 18 year-old on a multi-person attack that ended with one man, mistakenly thought to be African American ending up in a coma. Nicoletti could be sentenced to 12 years in prison per a plea agreement. His accomplices could face as many as ten years in jail for the crimes.

U.S. Attorney Benton Campbell is quoted in the AP report as stating, “On a night of historical significance, these four angry men assaulted their victims in an attempt to punish them for exercising a fundamental right of all Americans - the right to vote.”