Keller Pleads Guilty to Racist Threat

SALT LAKE CITY – Robert Keller, 70, of Hurricane, Utah, has confessed to a blatant act of racial intimidation, pleading guilty Tuesday morning to a federal civil rights crime. The charge? Interfering with the housing rights of an interracial family simply because of the color of their skin. This isn’t about property disputes; it’s about hate, plain and simple.

According to court documents, Keller penned a chilling threat on December 30, 2013. He targeted two Caucasian members of the family, vowing to kill them if they didn’t force their African American family member to leave their home. The intent was clear: to use fear and violence to drive someone out of their neighborhood based on race. Keller admitted he willfully intimidated the couple as they simply lived in their home alongside their family.

“Members of our community have a constitutional right to live in their home without fear, and the Department will not tolerate threats of violence that infringe on that right,” stated Acting Assistant Attorney General Molly Moran of the Civil Rights Division. It’s a statement of fact, but it barely scratches the surface of the damage Keller’s actions inflicted. This wasn’t just a threat; it was an assault on the family’s basic sense of security.

Acting U.S. Attorney for Utah, Carlie Christensen, didn’t mince words. “Hate based crimes have no place in America,” she declared. “They not only hurt the individuals who are the object of such hate, but tear at the fabric of our society as a whole. In this case, the defendant’s attempt to rid his neighborhood of an African American member of an interracial family serves as a horrifying reminder that racial intolerance still exists in some communities.”

Keller now faces a maximum penalty of one year in prison for his conviction. While a year behind bars is a start, it doesn’t erase the terror he inflicted. Sentencing is scheduled for December 1, 2014, at 8:30 a.m. before U.S. Magistrate Judge Evelyn Furse. Let’s hope the judge sends a message that this kind of behavior will not be tolerated.

The investigation was spearheaded by the Salt Lake City Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with crucial support from the Hurricane City Police Department. The prosecution team includes Trial Attorney Saeed Mody of the Civil Rights Division and Assistant United States Attorney Carlos Esqueda of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Salt Lake City. This case serves as a grim reminder that even in the 21st century, the poison of racial hatred continues to fester, and those who peddle it must be held accountable.

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