A North Carolina man was sentenced yesterday to 41 months in prison and three years of supervised release for committing hate crimes against a Black man and a Hispanic man, officials stated.
Evidence at trial proved that Marian Hudak, 52, willfully intimidated the victims and interfered with their enjoyment of federally protected activities using force or a threat of force because of their race and color.
The evidence also indicated that on October 13, 2022, Hudak verbally assaulted J.S., a Black man he had not previously met, on a public road in Concord, North Carolina.
Hudak hurled racial slurs at J.S., demanded he “come here, boy,” exited his vehicle, repeatedly struck J.S.’s car window, and pursued J.S. to his home where he continued to use racial epithets and issued threats.
Other witnesses detailed instances where Hudak used slurs, gestured obscenely, and drove aggressively around minority drivers. They also noted the presence of a KKK flag, racially offensive literature, and Nazi memorabilia in Hudak’s home.
Further evidence presented at the trial revealed that on November 27, 2021, Hudak verbally attacked his neighbor, J.D., a Hispanic man, with racially charged insults while J.D. was at his residence.
Hudak escalated the encounter by physically assaulting J.D., resulting in injuries. Testimonies also highlighted Hudak’s pattern of making derogatory social media posts about Hispanics, including specific attacks on J.D.’s family and his intimidation tactics, such as parking his truck outside a Hispanic church during services and using derogatory language.
“For years Marian Hudak terrorized people of color living in one North Carolina city,” said Special Agent in Charge Robert M. DeWitt of the FBI Charlotte Field Office. “They were afraid to drive down certain streets, fill their cars with gas, or even to take their children to the bus stop because of his intolerance for people who didn’t look like him. There is no place for racial hatred-fueled violence in this country.”
“Racially-motivated acts of violence are abhorrent and unlawful, and have no place in our society today,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “This defendant, who harbored the KKK flag and Nazi paraphernalia, carried out hate-fueled attacks on a Black man who was merely driving on a public street and a Hispanic man who simply was trying to live in his own home. The severe sentence imposed for these vicious hate crimes should send a strong message that perpetrators of hate-fueled violence will be held accountable. The Justice Department is steadfast in its commitment to investigating and prosecuting hate crimes wherever they occur in our country.”
The FBI Charlotte Field Office investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ashley Waid and JoAnna McFadden for the Middle District of North Carolina and Trial Attorney Daniel Grunert of the Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section prosecuted the case.