The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has arrested Colorado Springs, Mayor Yemi Mobolade, for allegedly plotting a racist attack on himself to gain sympathy of voters in mayoral election.
The acting U.S. attorney for the District of Colorado on November 12 announced that three of Mobolade’s loyalists, Derrick Bernard Jr., Ashley Blackcloud, and Deanna West, were charged with writing the n-word on one of his campaign signs and erecting a burning cross in front of it.
The three were reportedly sending videos of the spectacle to the media to rally Black voter turnout for Mobolade, who is an African immigrant.
Their actions were allegedly intended to gain support for Mobolade during the mayoral runoff election against Wayne Williams.
The latest development has also led the FBI to refer Mobolade for prosecution for making false statements related to a hate crime hoax intended to boost his candidacy, The Daily Wire reports.
Mobolade, a left-wing candidate, went on to defeat a white Republican in a closely fought election in the conservative-leaning city.
People’s Gazette reports that the FBI investigators obtained communications showing that Mobolade was in close contact with the lead suspect, Bernard, before, during, and after the incident.
Mobolade was interviewed twice to determine his knowledge of the hoax, during which he strenuously denied having contact with Bernard.
During the interviews, officials noted that Mobolade scrolled through his phone as a memory aid. However, they stated that “he was literally skipping over text messages,” apparently unaware that the bureau had already obtained them from other sources.
An official reportedly said, “The initial response from the Department of Justice was, ‘We can’t indict the first Black mayor of Colorado Springs.’ In my experience, if anyone else had been in that position, they would have been charged with lying to a federal agent.”
Following his conduct during the interviews, the FBI referred him to the Department of Justice for charges related to making false statements to federal investigators.
FBI officials also claimed there were dozens of messages exchanged between Bernard and the now-mayor.
Bernard, a career criminal, was sentenced to 32 months in prison in 2018, People’s gazette reports.
He allegedly attempted to kill two police officers and has since been convicted of an unrelated murder of a rapper who disrespected him.