FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE FRIDAY, JULY 16, 2004 WWW.USDOJ.GOV CRT (202) 514-2008 TDD (202) 514-1888 WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Department of Justice today announced the guilty pleas of two Virginia men responsible for vandalizing the Mount Moriah Baptist Church in Roanoke, Virginia. Specifically, Zachary Lee Bryant and Christopher Martin, both of Roanoke, each pleaded guilty to conspiring to violate the civil rights of the churchs African-American congregation.
The deliberate desecration of a house of worship should offend all Americans, and all the more so when such disgraceful conduct is driven by racial hatred, said R. Alexander Acosta, Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division. We are committed to the protection of both racial minorities and religious institutions, and will vigorously pursue those responsible for such hateful acts. Mount Moriah Baptist Church is a nationally recognized historic landmark. The church and its congregation are an important part of our community, said United States Attorney John Brownlee. The two men who committed this terrible crime have been brought to justice, and I am grateful for the excellent work of Detective James Owens of the Roanoke City Police Department and Special Agent Stan Slater of the FBI. Bryant and Martin admitted that on Jan. 12, 2004, they forcibly broke into the Mount Moriah Baptist Church, which they knew served a predominantly African-American congregation. They desecrated the church by breaking out windows in the sanctuary; shattering light fixtures; throwing hymnals through the broken windows; discharging a fire extinguisher throughout the church; smashing items in the church with a metal post; tearing out sinks and toilets; and ripping photographs of congregants from the sanctuary wall and smashing them on the church floor.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Roanoke City Police Department investigated this case. United States Attorney for the Western District of Virginia John Brownlee personally prosecuted the case, along with attorneys from the Civil Rights Division.
The offences to which Bryant and Martin pleaded guilty carry a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The Court could also order them to pay restitution for the damage they caused to the church. Sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 19, 2004.
Prosecuting the perpetrators of bias-motivated crimes remains a top priority of the Justice Department. Since 2001, the Civil Rights Division has charged 114 defendants in 73 cases of bias-motivated crime. 04-492
Source: US Department of Justice
