A Texas Hispanic man was prosecuted and sentenced for making false statements in connection to a 2012 assault of a gay black man in Corpus Christi.
Twenty-nine-year-old Carlos Garcia was sentenced to 48 months in prison on one count of making false statements to law enforcement. Garcia pleaded guilty to the charge in January.
Garcia made false statements to the FBI about the assault of a gay African-American man, according to a law enforcement statement obtained by Breitbart Texas. He denied being present during the assault but was actually found to be a participant.
He is the third person to plead guilty in connection to the hate crime. Jimmy Garza, Jr., and Ramiro Serrata Jr., had previously been sentenced for their roles in the assault. Both of them received fifteen year sentences for their part in the assault.
When they pleaded guilty, Garza and Serrata admitted that they engaged in prolonged assault of the black man because of his race and his sexual orientation. They admitted that they hit and kicked the man and assaulted him with a frying pan, a sock filled with batteries, a broom, and a belt.
Garza also poured bleach into the man’s face and eyes and hit him with a handgun.
“Individuals who participate in hate crimes will continue to be the focus of federal criminal investigations in this district and this case illustrates that point,” said U.S. Attorney Kenneth Magidson. “We simply will not tolerate the actions of anyone associated with these types of crimes, whether an active participant or one that seeks to hinder our efforts by lying, misleading or otherwise providing false information to law enforcement. This office will continue to ensure everyone is ultimately held accountable for their actions in federal court.”
“This defendant lied about the facts of this terrible crime that violated our society’s most basic standards of human decency and dignity,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Vanita Gupta, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The Department of Justice will continue to aggressively prosecute anyone who tries to obstruct justice by lying to law enforcement or covering up criminal activity.”
Garcia will also have to serve three years of supervised release following completion of the prison term.
Lana Shadwick is a writer and legal analyst for Breitbart Texas. She has served as an associate judge and prosecutor in Texas. Follow her on Twitter @LanaShadwick2
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