Not everyone in America has the same dream.
A Missouri couple pleaded guilty on Wednesday to violating the civil rights of their African-American neighbors by setting fire to the family’s home in Independence with a Molotov cocktail and writing Nazi slogans and swastikas on the driveway.
Logan J. Smith, 25, and Victoria A. Cheek-Herrera, 34, admitted to conspiring to commit what prosecutors called the "racially motivated" crimes.
“By pleading guilty, Smith and Cheek-Herrera admitted that on June 26, 2008, they conspired to injure, oppress, threaten, and intimidate an African-American couple and their minor children in the free exercise of their constitutional rights to occupy and rent their home in Independence, because of their race and color,” the Kansas City division of the FBI said in a statement.
In court, Smith admitted drawing swastikas and “White Power” on the family’s driveway before filling a bottle with gasoline, inserting a rag, lighting the fire bomb and tossing it at the home. During the attack, Smith also admitted to donning a swastika on his forehead and shouting “Heil Hitler.”
“You’re pleading guilty because you are guilty, is that correct?” U.S. District Judge Brian Wimes asked the defendant.
“Yes, sir,” Smith responded.
Smith and Cheek-Herrera each face a maximum penalty of 20 years and fines of up to $500,000.