A federal grand jury in Gainesville, Florida, returned a six-count indictment charging David Emanuel, 61, with committing hate crimes for his racially motivated attack on a group of Black men surveying land along a public road in Cedar Key, Florida. The indictment was returned on Sept. 6.
Emanuel willfully intimidated the victim, F.D.D., and attempted to injure, intimidate and interfere with him, through the use of Emanuel’s vehicle, because of F.D.D.’s race and color.
Emanuel is further alleged to have willfully intimidated and interfered with and attempted to intimidate and interfere with five additional victims, through the use of his vehicle, because of the victims’ race and color.
Emanuel is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
According to the indictment, all six victims were Black males who were surveying land owned by one of the victims at the time of the alleged offenses.
The FBI Jacksonville Field Office and Gainesville Resident Agency investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Kaitlin Weiss for the Northern District of Florida and Trial Attorney Laura-Kate Bernstein of the Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section are prosecuting the case.