Jody Lambert, Conspiracy, Louisiana 2018

Jody Lambert, a 24-year-old man from Louisiana, has been sentenced to 120 months in prison for conspiring to deny a disabled woman her right to a safe living space.

Lambert was convicted on October 18, 2018, in the Eastern District of Louisiana for conspiring with other family members to prevent D.P., a woman with cognitive disabilities, from renting and occupying a home without being subjected to physical abuse, intimidation, and interference due to her disabilities.

"Lambert and his co-conspirators conspired to take away a vulnerable victim's right to a safe place to live, forcing her to live in a cage in the backyard, for reasons of her disability," said Assistant Attorney General Eric Dreiband. "This despicable conduct constitutes a hate crime, and the fight against hate crimes will remain a top priority of the Department of Justice. Today's sentence reflects our commitment to seeking justice for victims."

"One of this country's primary goals is the protection of the civil rights of all people, especially the most vulnerable," said Peter G. Strasser, the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Louisiana. "The conviction of Mr. Lambert sends a clear message that anyone who denies a citizen their rights will be held accountable."

"The conviction today of Jody Lambert for his inhumane treatment of a family member serves as a clear reminder that justice will prevail," said Eric Rommal, the Special Agent in Charge of the FBI's New Orleans Field Office. "As the primary federal agency responsible for enforcing federal civil rights laws, the FBI's New Orleans Field Office will continue to aggressively investigate all credible allegations of civil rights violations in the state of Louisiana."

Lambert pleaded guilty on October 18, 2018, to a charge of conspiracy against the civil rights of D.P. During the guilty plea, Lambert admitted that between some months before June 30, 2016, in Amite, Louisiana, he conspired with other relatives to force D.P. to live inside a metal cage in their backyard due to her cognitive disabilities and because they did not want her to cohabitate with them in their mobile home.

Lambert admitted that he and other family members enclosed D.P. in the cage at night with a metal chain and lock, and that he and other family members had placed branches and tarps above the cage to conceal it from view. Additionally, Lambert admitted that while D.P. was enclosed in the cage, she was required to use a five-gallon bucket as a toilet. Lambert also admitted that before forcing D.P. to live in the cage, he and his family had forced D.P. to live on their patio in a tent and a locked shed. Lambert admitted that throughout the time D.P. lived with the family in Amite, Louisiana, Lambert and his co-conspirators subjected D.P. to routine physical violence and threats of physical violence to intimidate her into accepting these living conditions.

This case was investigated by the FBI's New Orleans Field Office, the Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff's Office, and the Tangipahoa Parish District Attorney's Office. The case is being prosecuted by attorneys Risa Berkower and Nicholas Reddick of the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice, Assistant U.S. Attorney Julia Evans of the Eastern District of Louisiana, and the Tangipahoa Parish District Attorney's Office.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/es/opa/pr/se-le-condena-un-hombre-de-luisiana-por-conspirar-vulnerar-los-derechos-federales-la