Ashley Blackcloud Gets Year-and-a-Day Sentence in Colorado Springs 'Hate Crime' Hoax
Prosecutors say she staged a cross burning to spread a false threat intended to sway the 2023 mayoral runoff.
Overview
- Blackcloud was sentenced Thursday to one year and one day in federal prison after a May 2025 jury conviction in the District of Colorado.
- She was found guilty of conspiring to threaten or maliciously convey false information tied to a staged incident targeting then-candidate Yemi Mobolade.
- Investigators said surveillance video showed three people setting up a burning cross and a defaced campaign sign between 2:30 and 3:30 a.m., followed by a video emailed to news outlets.
- Prosecutors said Blackcloud, Derrick Bernard and Deanna West used email and social media to amplify the hoax and falsely blame Mobolade’s opponent.
- Bernard was also convicted and is set for sentencing in March, West received three years’ probation and a $100 fine, a judge denied Blackcloud’s bid for a new trial, and the FBI concluded Mobolade was not involved.