Oregon man pleads guilty to hate crime after assaulting Black man at Lynnwood bar in 2018
Aug 23, 2022, 7:27 PM
(Photo courtesy of Getty Images)
(Photo courtesy of Getty Images)
An Oregon man on Monday pleaded guilty in court to a hate crime and making false statements to FBI agents after being charged for participating in an assault on a Black man at a Lynnwood bar in December 2018, according to a release from Nick Brown, the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Washington.
Randy Smith, 42, admitted in court that he was a member of a white supremacist support group when the assault occurred.
Officials said on the day of the assault, Smith entered the bar with others, including fellow support group members and members of a higher-level white supremacist group.
Smith even had on clothes and patches that indicated he was a member of the group and gave a “Nazi salute” upon entry, the release stated.
While inside the bar, Smith assaulted the Black man who was the disc jockey that day, and believed the man was acting disrespectful to members of the white supremacist members.
According to the release, Smith repeatedly punched the Black man while others punched, kicked and stomped on him, calling him racial slurs.
Two bystanders who tried to help the man and stop the assault were also assaulted by the white supremacist members, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Washington.
The Black man and the bystanders suffered injuries in the attacks.
During an FBI investigation, Smith made false statements about what happened and claimed that he did not remember anyone calling the Black man racial slurs, officials said.
According to the release, “Smith made this false statement to the FBI because he wanted to cover up the motive for the assault, which was the bias that he and others had against” the man’s race.
While Smith has been charged in the indictment, he could face up to 15 years in prison, as a hate crime charge carries a maximum penalty of 10 years and a false statement charge carries a maximum penalty of up to five years. He will be sentenced on Nov. 18, 2022.
Three other men were also charged in the seven-count indictment with aiding and abetting one another during the attack.
The indictment further charges Smith and the three men with assaulting the bystanders who helped the victim, as well as making false statements during the investigation.
According to the release, two of the three men, Jason DeSimas and Daniel Dorson, have already pleaded guilty.
Smith also pleaded guilty to unlawful possession of a firearm charge, which stems from conduct in Oregon in 2020.
In a plea agreement, Smith admitted he unlawfully had a Ruger 9mm gun despite knowing that he had a felony conviction, which was filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon in August 2020 and later transferred to the Western District of Washington.
