George Loren Thompson, Minneapolis, Minnesota (assault, Shepard/Byrd Act hate crime) [MSP]

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Name: George Loren Thompson, Minneapolis, Minnesota

Age: 64​

TSA Job: "Employee"

Crime: Assault, Shepard/Byrd Act hate crime

My Fox Twin Cities / KMSP 9 (29 July 2010): Man Charged for Threatening Somali Man's Life

U.S Department of Justice press release (10 Aug 2011):

Department of Justice​

Office of Public Affairs​

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE​

Wednesday, August 10, 2011​

Former TSA Employee Pleads Guilty to Federal Hate Crime for Assaulting Elderly Somali Man​

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WASHINGTON: George Thompson, 64, a former employee of the Transportation Security Administration in Minneapolis, pleaded guilty today in federal court to violating the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act by assaulting an 83-year-old Somali man on May 4, 2010, the Department of Justice announced today.​

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According to information presented during the plea hearing, Thompson targeted the elderly man because he had a red beard, which caused Thompson to believe that the victim was a Muslim and an African immigrant. Thompson admitted that he assaulted the man solely because the victim was Muslim and Somali. During the assault, Thompson yelled that the victim should go back to Africa.​

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As this successful prosecution makes clear, acts of violence targeted at individuals because of their race or religion will not be permitted in the United States, and will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law, said Thomas E. Perez, Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division. The department will continue to vigorously enforce the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, and all the laws under our jurisdiction, to protect the rights of all individuals.​

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Physical violence motivated by racial or religious hatred exacerbate fear and tear at the fabric of our society, said B. Todd Jones, U.S. Attorney for the District of Minnesota. When warranted by the facts and circumstances, we will vigorously prosecute these crimes, which are violations of federal law. Here in Minnesota we have vibrant and diverse communities and should be celebrating that fact, not assaulting people because of it.​

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Thompson faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison for this crime.​

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This case was investigated by the Office of Inspector General at the Department of Homeland Security. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ann M. Anaya and Trial Attorney Nicole Lee Ndumele of the Civil Rights Division.​

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11-1032​

Civil Rights Division​

PEEEPL.com (10 Aug 2011): PRESS RELEASE: George Thompson, Former TSA Employee Pleads Guilty to Federal Hate Crime for Assaulting Elderly Somali Man

UPI (10 Sept 2011): Ex-TSA employee pleads guilty to hate crime

5 ABC News / KSTP (10 Aug 2011): Mpls Man Pleads Guilty to Assaulting Somali Man

CBS 4 Minnesota / WCCO (10 Aug 2011): Minneapolis Man Pleads Guilty To Assaulting Somali

My Fox Twin Cities / KMSP 9 (10 Aug 2011): Ex-TSA Agent Pleads Guilty in Assault on Elderly Somali Man: George Thompson charged under hate crimes act

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Office of Inspector General, Department of Homeland Security, press release (29 Nov 2011):

Former TSA Employee Sentenced For Federal Hate Crime First Case In TheNation Prosecuted Under Shepard-Byrd Act​

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE​

November 29,2011​

MINNEAPOLIS-Earlier today in federal court in St. Paul, a former employee of the Transportation Security Administration in Minneapolis was sentenced for assaulting an 83 year-old Somali man on May 4, 2010. United States District Court Judge Paul A. Magnuson sentenced George Thompson, age 64, to six months in federal prison on one count of violating the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr., Hate Crimes Prevention Act. Because the federal justice system does not employ parole, offenders serve virtually their entire sentence behind bars.​

Thompson was charged on July 14, 2011, and pleaded guilty on August 10, 2011. At that time he admitted targeting his elderly victim solely because he believed the man was a Muslim Somali. During the assault, Thompson told the victim to go back to Africa. He also yelled ethnic and religious slurs at him.​

Following today's sentencing, Thomas E. Perez, Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division in the U.S. Department of Justice, said, "No one should be a victim of assault because of their race or religion. The Department ofJustice will continue to use every tool in its arsenal, including the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr., Hate Crimes Prevention Act."​

B. Todd Jones, U.S. Attorney for the District of Minnesota, added, "Physicalviolence motivated by racial or religious hatred exacerbates fear. and tears at the fabric of our society. When warranted by the facts and circumstances, we will vigorously prosecute those cases. Here in Minnesota, we have vibrant and diverse communities and should be celebrating that fact, not assaulting people because of it."​

The Shepard-Byrd Act, which was signed into law in October of 2009, makes it a federal crime to assault an individual because of his or her actual or perceived sexual orientation or . gender identity. The act was named after Matthew Shepard, a gay Wyoming teen who died after being kidnapped and beaten in 1998, and James Byrd, Jr., an African American who was dragged to death in Texas that same year.​

The Thompson case was the result of an investigation by the Office of Inspector General at the Department of Homeland Security ("DHS OIG"). It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ann M. Anaya and Trial Attorney Nicole Lee Ndumele of the Civil Rights Division.​

Late this afternoon, Armando Lopez, Special Agent in Charge of DHS OIG, recognized both attorneys for prosecuting this case, which was the first time anyone in the nation has been charged under the federal Shepard-Byrd Act. While making his remarks, Lopez said, "This prosecution underscores the commitment of the Department of Homeland Security to protect the Civil Rights of all individuals who interact with our employees, whether on duty or off duty. The Office of Inspector General will continue to aggressively investigate any allegation regarding DHS employees who inflict pain and suffering upon vulnerable victims due to their race, religion, national origin, or sexual orientation."​

 

CBS 4 Minnesota / WCCO (29 Nov 2011): Mpls. Man Gets 6 Months For Assaulting Somali

KARE 11 (29 Nov 2011): Mpls. man gets 6 months for assaulting Somali

MPR News (29 Nov 2011): Mpls. man gets 6 months for assaulting Somali

Star Tribune (29 Nov 2011): Prison for man who lost TSA job over off-duty hate crime against Somali

Islamophobia Today (2 Dec 2011): Fired from TSA, Mpls. man gets prison term for off-duty hate crime against Somali

 

Nice bit of self-aggrandizing propaganda from an agency that had next to nothing to do with the arrest & prosecution of the bum. Their major "contribution" was their good taste in employing him for several years prior to his arrest.

5 ABC News / KSTP (13 Dec 2011): Homeland Security Honors Minneapolis Police Dept. Title

5 ABC News / KSTP (14 Dec 2011): Homeland Security Recognizes Mpls. Police for Hate Crimes Case

 

TSA News (19 Feb 2012): Who’s more dangerous — terrorists or the TSA?

Huffington Post (21 Feb 2012): Who's More Dangerous: Terrorists Or The TSA?

 

Bureau of Prisons Inmate Locater info as of 11 Apr 2012:

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FCI Elkton = Federal Correctional Institute in Elkton, Ohio​

 

USSearch.com:

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