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Springfield Arson And Related Hate Crime Conspiracy Is Brought To Trial In Federal Court

By Altman & Altman

These days, it seems that crimes are prosecuted based upon two things. The first, of course, is the criminal activity itself. Sometimes, however, the motivation behind the crime is an Aggravating factor that is almost a crime unto itself. Take, for example, the tale of Michael Jacques (hereinafter, the ?Defendant?) The Defendant is being prosecuted for a Springfield Arson. However, as the prosecutor announced at the beginning of the trial, ?We are here today because of racism?. Indeed, the Defendant is not simply being prosecuted for arson, but also for the crime being a Massachusetts hate crime. The trial, which has begun in federal court in Springfield, began this week. The Defendant, a known racist according to the prosecution, is accused of showing his disdain for the African-American community by torching a predominantly black church to protest the election of Barack Obama in November 2008 as the country?s first black president...continue to full post

Full post as published by Boston Criminal lawyer Blog on March 23, 2011 (boomark / email).