Montgomery, Alabama – In a stunning reversal of roles, Pamela Morris, the former secretary of a Ku Klux Klan chapter in Ozark, Alabama, has been sentenced to ten months behind bars and three years of supervised release for perjuring herself during a federal investigation into a racially motivated cross-burning.
Morris, 47, was caught lying under oath to a grand jury probing the actions of her son, Steven Joshua Dinkle, who served as the Exalted Cyclops (president) of the local Klan chapter. The incident occurred on May 8, 2009, when Dinkle and another KKK member, Thomas Smith, set ablaze a six-foot cross at an African American neighborhood entrance in Ozark. The act was intended to threaten and intimidate residents.
In a plea hearing held on June 12, 2014, Morris admitted her lies and confirmed that she had been an officer of the KKK, contrary to her earlier sworn testimony. She further admitted knowing about Dinkle’s involvement in the cross-burning but falsely claimed to have no connection to the Klan.
“Acts that target individuals and communities for violence based on race have no place in our society,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Vanita Gupta of the Civil Rights Division. “Nor can we tolerate those who lie under oath to obstruct the pursuit of justice.”
The KKK member who actually committed the cross burning, Dinkle, is currently serving a 24-month sentence for hate-crime and obstruction-of-justice charges. Smith, his co-conspirator, was sentenced to five years of probation.
U.S. Attorney George L. Beck Jr. of the Middle District of Alabama emphasized the importance of honesty in legal proceedings: “Ms. Morris lied after she swore to the grand jury that she would tell the truth. If someone fails to tell the truth while under oath, we will prosecute them.”
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Key Facts
- State: Alabama
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Public Corruption
- Source: Official Source ↗
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