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Two Toledo Men Sentenced for Racially Motivated Attack
In a disturbing incident of racial violence, Robert Paschalis, 25, and Charles Butler, 25, were sentenced to prison for beating an African-American stranger they saw on the street in Toledo, Ohio.
According to documents filed in connection with the case, on May 18, 2016, Paschalis and Butler drove past the victim, A.W., while he was unloading items from his truck. The two men circled back, got out of their own truck, and began attacking A.W. while yelling racial slurs.
Butler grabbed a broom from the back of A.W.’s truck and struck A.W. with it multiple times. Paschalis later admitted that the beating occurred because A.W. is African American. Paschalis said that, unlike Butler, he had not “earned” his swastika tattoo yet.
The beating stopped only when two off-duty police officers happened on the scene and pulled Butler and Paschalis away. A.W. suffered an orbital fracture and damage to his right eye. Butler later posted on Facebook that the attack was “in the name of the White Race.”
U.S. Attorney David A. Sierleja stated, “Attacks like these have no place in our society. The victim in this case was minding his own business when he was jumped by two racists. They deserve the prison sentences they received today.”
Robert Paschalis was sentenced to two years in prison, while Charles Butler received a seven-year prison sentence. Both men pleaded guilty in November to violating the Shepard-Byrd Hate Crimes Prevention Act.
This case was investigated by the FBI’s Toledo Resident Agency, in cooperation with the Toledo Police Department and the Lucas County Prosecutor’s Office. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Freeman, Trial Attorney Dana Mulhauser, and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert Miller.
Key Facts
- State: Ohio
- Category: Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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