Colton Donner, 27, went to federal court after a “racially motivated” attack on a Kansas African American man in September 2019. 

A Feb. 10 U.S. Department of Justice news release said Donner pleaded guilty in federal court for threatening an African American man with a knife because of the man's race. Donner reportedly wanted to interfere and intimidate with the man's right to fair housing. 

Documents filed with the plea stated Donner was driving in a residential area of Paola, Kan., when he saw his victim and stopped to verbally insult him. Donner reportedly said it was a “white town.”

“Using racially motivated threats of violence to drive someone out of their home or community is a deplorable crime, and the justice department stands ready to use our nation’s hate crimes laws to hold perpetrators accountable,” Kristen Clarke, assistant attorney general for the DOJ Civil Rights Division, said in the release. “Racially motivated hate crimes have no place in our society today. All people deserve to feel safe and secure living in their communities, regardless of race, color or national origin.”

Charles Dayoub, special agent in charge of the Kansas City FBI field office, noted the FBI and its law enforcement partners take this sort of intimidation seriously.

"“The defendant’s actions directly undermined the victim’s right to reside in a community in Paola, Kan., and to enjoy the protections afforded under the federal Civil Rights Act," Dayoub said in the release.

Donner faces up to 10 years in prison and received a $250,000 fine for the civil rights offense, according to the DOJ news release.

The case was investigated by the Paola, Kansas, Police Department, and the Kansas City FBI field office.