In a shocking story from Chicago this week, Brian James Moudry, a self-avowed white supremacist who has already served time for a hate crime was charged Wednesday with trying to set fire to the home of his African-American neighbors, a family that includes eight children. According to the federal indictment, there were no injuries.
From CBS News:
FBI agents arrested Brian James Moudry, 35, on federal arson and civil rights charges for allegedly setting the fire at 4:10 a.m. in June 2007.
An adult and eight children were home when the fire was set. But no one was injured, according to a federal indictment.
“The federal government takes very seriously its responsibilities to protect members of all racial and ethnic groups from intimidation and violence. We appreciate very much the hard work of the agents who pursued this investigation with great tenacity,” U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald said in a news release…
Moudry, of the 300 block of South Reed Street in Joliet, was charged Wednesday with one count each of arson, using fire to interfere with housing rights on the basis of race and using fire to commit another felony in a three-count indictment that was returned by a federal grand jury last week and unsealed after his arrest.
The arson charge carries a sentence of 5 to 20 years in prison. The charge of interfering with housing rights carries a maximum sentence of 10 years, and the charge of arson while committing another felony carries a mandatory 10-year prison term that must be served consecutively with any other sentence
Each count carries a maximum fine of $250,000.
Moudry appeared in court Thursday morning, and in a curious twist, it appears that he is being represented by an African-American attorney, NBC News reports.