Frankie Maybee, Hate Crime, Arkansas 2010
Frankie Maybee, 20, of Green Forest, Ark., was convicted by a federal jury today of five counts of committing a federal hate crime and one count of conspiring to commit a federal hate crime.
The heinous crime, which took place on June 20, 2010, left five Hispanic men with severe injuries, including one victim who sustained life-threatening injuries.
The evidence presented at trial established that Maybee and his co-conspirator, Sean Popejoy, 19, of Green Forest, conspired to threaten and injure the victims, who had pulled into a gas station parking lot.
The co-conspirators pursued the victims in a truck, with Popejoy waiving a tire wrench at them and hurling racial epithets. Maybee then rammed into the victims' car repeatedly, causing them to crash into a tree and ignite.
The Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, enacted in October 2009, makes it a federal crime to commit a hate crime.
The law was used to prosecute Maybee, who faces a maximum of 55 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 per violation.
The Justice Department praised the jury's verdict, saying it shows a commitment to vigorously prosecuting individuals who commit hate crimes.
Key Facts
- State: Federal
- Category: Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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