A Mississippi man was sentenced this Friday to 42 months in prison followed by three years supervised release and ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $7,810 for burning a cross on his front lawn, according to a press release from the Justice Department.
Axel Cox, 24, committed the act in an attempt to intimidate his Black neighbors in an incident that took place on Dec. 3, 2020. Court documents say he violated the Fair Housing Act when he burned the cross, along with his use of threatening and racially derogatory language towards the family. He admitted that he burned the cross in an attempt to scare the family into moving away.
“Mr. Axel Cox sought to intimidate members of the community through his intimidating threats," said FBI Special Agent in Charge Jermicha Fomby of the FBI Jackson Field Office. “The FBI prioritizes the protection of civil rights to ensure citizens remain safe without fear of any harm. We remain committed to tirelessly thwarting the nefarious actions of those, like Mr. Cox, who intended to impact fear upon citizens based on biases.”
Cox initially faced a maximum of 10 years in prison for violating the Fair Housing Act and a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison, consecutive to any other sentence, for using fire to commit a federal felony. He also faced a fine of up to $250,000 for each charge.