IDAHO – Two men were indicted Tuesday for hate crimes in connection with a racially motivated assault of a black man last year, according to authorities.
A federal grand jury indicted Jonathan Lynn Henery, 28, and Beau Edward Hansen, 30, both of Boise, Idaho, for the hate crime, officials said.
An initial court appearance has not been scheduled yet, officials said.
The case was investigated by the FBI and the Boise City Police Department.
The charge of hate crime based on race is a violation of the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crime Prevention Act signed into law by President Barack Obama in 2009.
A violation of that statute is punishable by up to 10 years in prison, a maximum fine of $250,000 and up to three years of supervised release.
Henery and Hansen are presumed innocent until they are proven guilty.