Armando Sotelo, Hate Crime Assault, Kansas 2015

Armando Sotelo, 24, of Dodge City, Kansas, pleaded guilty today to a federal hate crime for the brutal June 19, 2015, assault on M.H.D., a black Somali man sitting peacefully outside the African Market. With fists and slurs, Sotelo and two others cornered the victim, unleashing a racially charged attack that left M.H.D. injured and the community shaken. The assault was not random—it was targeted, vicious, and rooted in hatred.

Sotelo admitted during his plea hearing that he punched M.H.D. in the head without provocation, motivated solely by the man’s race and national origin. As the victim sat with two other Somali men, Sotelo approached from one side while accomplices closed in from the other. Racial and anti-Somali slurs ripped through the air before the first blow landed. After the assault, Sotelo fled—and ordered someone to wash blood from his clothes.

In a twist of judicial betrayal, Omar Cantero Martinez, 32, also pleaded guilty today—not for the assault itself, but for lying under oath during the October 2016 federal trial. Martinez admitted he used a broken glass bottle to stab victim S.A.M. and slash A.M.A. on the same night. He acknowledged instigating the violence alongside Sotelo and confirmed that slurs were hurled during the attack. Yet, under oath, he lied—knowingly providing false testimony that undermined the hate crime prosecution.

Martinez’s deception was deliberate and material. He didn’t just misremember—he fabricated. He knew his words carried weight in a case built on truth and accountability. Instead, he chose to obstruct justice, shielding himself and Sotelo from consequences—until now. His perjury charge carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison.

Sotelo now faces up to 10 years behind bars. Both men are locked up until sentencing on February 22, 2017, when the court will deliver final judgment. The Justice Department made no promises that this would be the end of accountability—investigators and prosecutors signaled that others involved may still face charges.

The case was spearheaded by the FBI’s Garden City Resident Agency, with support from Dodge City Police and the Ford County Sheriff’s Department. Prosecution came from Trial Attorney Risa Berkower and Special Litigation Counsel Jared Fishman of the Civil Rights Division, aided by Assistant U.S. Attorney Mona Furst. “Hate violence not only harms individuals but also threatens the diversity of our society,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Vanita Gupta. “The Justice Department will continue to prosecute these crimes—relentlessly.”

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