Related Federal Cases
Ku Klux Klan Secretary Pleads Guilty to Perjury
A former secretary of a Ku Klux Klan chapter in Ozark, Alabama, has pleaded guilty to committing perjury during a grand jury’s investigation into a racially motivated cross-burning.
Pamela Morris, 46, admitted to lying to a federal grand jury in 2013 about her involvement with the KKK and her son’s role in the cross-burning. Morris’s son, Steven Joshua Dinkle, and another KKK member, Thomas Smith, burned a six-foot tall cross at the entrance to an African-American neighborhood in Ozark on May 8, 2009, to threaten and intimidate residents.
Morris lied under oath to prevent the grand jury from learning about other KKK members who had information relevant to the investigation. She testified falsely, denying that she had been the secretary of the chapter or involved with the KKK at all.
“Defendant Morris lied under oath blatantly and repeatedly to hinder an investigation into a cross-burning that was committed to intimidate an entire community,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Jocelyn Samuels for the Civil Rights Division.
Morris faces a statutory maximum sentence of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. A sentencing date has not yet been scheduled. Dinkle, who pleaded guilty to hate crime and obstruction of justice charges in 2014, was sentenced to serve 24 months in prison. Smith, Dinkle’s co-conspirator, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to interfere with housing rights in 2013 and is scheduled to be sentenced on August 19, 2014.
This case is being investigated by the FBI with the assistance of the Dale County Sheriff’s Office and the Ozark Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jerusha T. Adams of the Middle District of Alabama and Trial Attorney Chiraag Bains of the Civil Rights Division.
The prosecutor said, “Ms. Morris lied to the grand jury in an attempt to protect herself and to protect a cross burner. When someone testifies in court they swear to tell the truth. Unfortunately, Ms. Morris lied. For our system of justice to protect the rights of all, those who testify before the grand jury must provide accurate and honest information. If someone fails to tell the truth while under oath, we will prosecute them.”
RELATED: Exalted Cyclops Dinkle Charged in KKK Cross Burning
RELATED: KKK Secretary Pleads Guilty to Perjury in Cross-Burning Case
Key Facts
- State: Alabama
- Category: Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release ↗
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