U.S. District Court Judge Keith Starrett sentenced Louie Bernard Revette, 38, to 11 years in prison for cross burning, according to authorities.
The incident took place on Oct. 24, 2017, in Seminary, Mississippi.
Revette pled guilty on April 12, to one count of interference with housing rights, a federal civil rights violation, and one count of using fire to commit a federal felony.
Revette, along with a co-conspirator, Graham Williamson, whom he recruited, built and burned a wooden cross near the home of a juvenile victim, M.H., who lived in a predominantly African-American residential area of Seminary.
He burned the cross to threaten, frighten, and intimidate M.H. and other African-American residents because of their race and color, and because they lived in and occupied residences in that area of Seminary.
Revette expressed remorse at his sentencing hearing, the Hattiesburg American reported.
“I want everyone to know I’m not proud of what happened,” Revette said. “I hate what I did. I can’t even believe I did that. I never done anything like that before in my life.”
Seminary is a town of with about 300 residents, located about 70 miles south of Jackson.
“The defendant terrorized members of a community simply because of their race and where they lived,” said Assistant Attorney General Eric Dreiband of the Civil Rights Division. “The Department of Justice will not tolerate these acts of hate, and we will continue to prosecute hate crimes like these to the fullest extent of the law.”
“Those who instill fear and terror into our neighbors and our fellow citizens because of the color of their skin will face the full weight and force of the law from the U.S. Attorney’s Office,” said U.S. Attorney Mike Hurst of the Southern District of Mississippi. “There is absolutely no place in our society or our country for this type of behavior, and we will do all that we can to prevent these racist acts and bring to justice those who are intent on committing these crimes.”
“All Mississippians have the right to feel safe in their communities, but crimes like these only tear open wounds that are still healing,” said Michelle A. Sutphin, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI in Mississippi. “The FBI and our partners will not tolerate crimes motivated by hate, and we will vigorously pursue those that commit them.”
Revette’s accomplice, Graham Williamson, plead guilty to the same two charges in August and is scheduled to be sentenced in November.
DOJ NOTED:
This case was investigated by the FBI’s Jackson, Mississippi Field Office, including the FBI Safe Streets Task Force and the Jackson Public Corruption Task Force. Special Litigation Counsel Julia Gegenheimer of the Department of Justice Civil Rights Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Candace Mayberry of the Southern District of Mississippi prosecuted the case.