USA v. Bernard

Derrick Bernard was found guilty by a federal jury for conspiring to threaten or convey false information about a threat when he burned a cross in front of a Black political candidate’s campaign sign. According to the DOJ, the cross burning took place on April 23, 2023. According to the DOJ, Bernard sent a message to the threatened candidate explaining he was “mobilizing my squad in defense. Black ops style big brother”. According to the DOJ, after the burning occurred, Bernard and Blackcloud worked together to send an email with a video of the cross burning to the candidate, media outlets, and other organizations, falsely blaming the candidate’s political opponent for the crime.

Summary generated from official Department of Justice press release