DENVER (CN) — A federal judge on Thursday sentenced a 38-year-old woman to three years of probation after she pleaded guilty to conspiracy for her part in feeding local media footage of a cross burning and a campaign sign defaced with a racial slur as part of an effort to generate support for a Black candidate running for the mayor of Colorado Springs in 2023.
“The fact that you are being sentenced to probation in this matter reflects your particular participation in this crime and your actions afterwords in cooperating with the government,” said U.S. District Judge Regina Rodriguez. “In no way does it undermine the severity of what you did here, and in no way does this court condone your actions.”
Two years ago, when Yemi Mobolade ran for mayor of Colorado Springs, a hallmark of the KKK went viral after someone photographed a burning cross beside his campaign sign, which had been defaced with a racial epithet in red spray paint. Spread across Facebook and reported on by local media, the photo sparked outrage and prompted an FBI investigation…