THE GAZETTE
Mayor Yemi Mobolade on Wednesday further denied any involvement with a faked hate crime that took place during Colorado Springs’ 2023 mayoral election.
A federal grand jury earlier this month indicted Derrick Bernard Jr., Ashley Blackcloud and Deanna West for staging an incident on April 23, 2023, when a burning cross was placed in front of a Mobolade campaign sign that was defaced with a racial slur. The act was allegedly meant to galvanize support for Mobolade during the middle of the mayoral runoff election between Mobolade and Wayne Williams.
The three defendants were also accused of spreading disinformation about the hate crime hoax after the fact with anonymous tips to news organizations and civic groups.
“I had no knowledge, warning, or involvement in this reprehensible act,” Mobolade said in the new statement released Wednesday.
“I fully cooperated in the investigation, and it is important that the judicial process is followed to allow for a successful prosecution that brings justice for our community,” Mobolade said.
The federal indictment Nov. 12 referenced communication between then-candidate Mobolade and Bernard in the weeks around the incident. According to the indictment, the two had a roughly five-minute phone call April 26, 2023 — three days after the cross burning occurred.
The indictment also cites text messages and Facebook messages Bernard sent to Mobolade before and after the incident. Bernard mentioned in a message 10 days before the alleged crime that there was a “plot amidst” and that he was “mobilizing my squadron in defense and for the final push.”
Questions about the mayor’s role in the crime were raised last week when The Daily Wire website published an interview with an anonymous FBI agent. The agent alleged, without offering evidence, that Mobolade had denied any contact or communication with Bernard during two separate FBI interviews during the investigation and that the bureau had considered charging him with lying to federal agents.
