Cheryl Lynn Pytleski, Civil Rights Violation, Alabama 2023

A 64-year-old Dale County woman was sentenced to prison for violating the civil rights of her neighbors, authorities announced today.

Cheryl Lynn Pytleski, a resident of Chancellor, Alabama, was sentenced to 12 months in prison for violating the civil rights of her African American neighbors, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Alabama.

Pytleski pleaded guilty to a criminal violation of the Fair Housing Act in March of this year, admitting that she used the threat of force to intimidate her neighbors because of their race and because they were occupying a dwelling next to her.

According to her plea agreement, Pytleski hung racially offensive homemade dolls on the fence of her next-door neighbors on October 18, 2019, in an attempt to make the family move away.

The 12-month sentence, ordered on September 6, 2023, is the maximum allowed under the federal statute. There is no parole in the federal system.

The FBI and the Ozark Police Department investigated the case, with Assistant United States Attorney Brett J. Talley prosecuting the case.

Pytleski's sentencing marks the latest in a string of high-profile cases in Alabama involving civil rights violations. The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Alabama has made a priority of prosecuting cases involving hate crimes and civil rights violations.

In her plea agreement, Pytleski specifically admitted to using the threat of force to intimidate her neighbors because of their race and because they were occupying a dwelling next to her.

The Fair Housing Act prohibits individuals from using force or threats of force to intimidate or interfere with people because of their race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status, or national origin.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-mdal/pr/dale-county-woman-sentenced-civil-rights-violation