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4 Texans face federal hate crime charges, accused of luring robbery victims via Grindr
Washington Post | By Katie Mettler | May 11 at 4:30 AM
Four Texas men were indicted Wednesday by a federal grand jury with hate crime charges after allegedly using Grindr, a dating app for gay men, to target victims they intended to rob in a multicity criminal scheme.
The men — identified as Cameron Ajiduah, 18, Chancler Encalade, 20, Nigel Garrett, 21, and Anthony Shelton, 19 — face charges of conspiracy, kidnapping, carjacking and possession of a firearm.
The hate crime charge — conspiring to cause bodily injury to people because of their sexual orientation — carries a maximum penalty of life in prison and a $250,000 fine.
According to the indictment, the men spent a one-month period in early 2017 committing home invasions in the Dallas suburbs of Plano and Frisco, as well as Aubrey, which is about 50 miles northwest of Dallas.
On Grindr, the men would pretend to be gay and arrange to meet up at their matches’ homes.
Once inside, the indictment says, they would assault their “dates,” restrain the victims with tape and make “derogatory statements” about their sexual orientation. During each home invasion, the men carried a gun. They took personal property from their victims, including a car, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
The indictment was announced Wednesday by the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Eastern District of Texas and the Dallas Division of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The ATF, Plano Police Department and Frisco Police Department worked together on the investigation.
Jeanne Rubin, president of the North Texas Gay and Lesbian Alliance, told CBS Dallas she was relieved the grand jury took the crimes seriously.
“You can be scared as a homeowner if your neighbor is robbed,” she said, “but it’s different if you feel like you’re being targeted for some reason and in this case a whole community can feel like they’re targeted.”
SOURCE
Washington Post | By Katie Mettler | May 11 at 4:30 AM
Four Texas men were indicted Wednesday by a federal grand jury with hate crime charges after allegedly using Grindr, a dating app for gay men, to target victims they intended to rob in a multicity criminal scheme.
The men — identified as Cameron Ajiduah, 18, Chancler Encalade, 20, Nigel Garrett, 21, and Anthony Shelton, 19 — face charges of conspiracy, kidnapping, carjacking and possession of a firearm.
The hate crime charge — conspiring to cause bodily injury to people because of their sexual orientation — carries a maximum penalty of life in prison and a $250,000 fine.
According to the indictment, the men spent a one-month period in early 2017 committing home invasions in the Dallas suburbs of Plano and Frisco, as well as Aubrey, which is about 50 miles northwest of Dallas.
On Grindr, the men would pretend to be gay and arrange to meet up at their matches’ homes.
Once inside, the indictment says, they would assault their “dates,” restrain the victims with tape and make “derogatory statements” about their sexual orientation. During each home invasion, the men carried a gun. They took personal property from their victims, including a car, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
The indictment was announced Wednesday by the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Eastern District of Texas and the Dallas Division of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The ATF, Plano Police Department and Frisco Police Department worked together on the investigation.
Jeanne Rubin, president of the North Texas Gay and Lesbian Alliance, told CBS Dallas she was relieved the grand jury took the crimes seriously.
“You can be scared as a homeowner if your neighbor is robbed,” she said, “but it’s different if you feel like you’re being targeted for some reason and in this case a whole community can feel like they’re targeted.”
SOURCE
