WASHINGTON—Two Baltimore women pleaded
guilty today for their involvement in a racially motivated conspiracy to
interfere with an African family’s housing rights by hanging a dead raccoon on
the family’s porch, the Justice Department announced.
Dena Whedbee, 42, and her daughter
Brittany Whedbee, 20, each pleaded guilty in the District of Maryland to one
count of conspiracy to deprive a person of civil rights and one count of
violating the Fair Housing Act.
According to their plea agreement, in
April 2010, Dena Whedbee and Brittany Whedbee conspired with Joshua Wall, Billy
Pratt, and another co-conspirator to hang a dead raccoon from a noose on the
porch of a family from Africa in order to frighten the family and interfere
with their housing rights. Dena Whedbee admitted that she and another
co-conspirator found the dead raccoon, and that Wall, Pratt and the other
conspirator used the raccoon to carry out their plan on the night of April 29,
2010. Both Dena and Brittany Whedbee also admitted that they encouraged their
co-conspirators to hang the raccoon on the family’s porch.
The defendants face a maximum penalty of
10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for conspiracy to deprive a person of
civil rights and one year in prison and a $100,000 fine for violating the Fair
Housing Act. U.S. District Judge Ellen L. Hollander has scheduled sentencing
for December 14, 2012.
Billy Pratt, 24, of Baltimore, and
Joshua Wall, 20, of Essex, Maryland, previously pleaded guilty for their
involvement in the conspiracy. Their sentencings are scheduled for August 17,
2012.
This case was investigated by Special
Agent Mia Winkley of the FBI and is being prosecuted by Trial Attorney Angie
Cha of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division and Assistant U.S.
Attorney P. Michael Cunningham.
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