Black Family Moves After Home-Torching; Feds Pinch White Supremacist On Charges Of Arson, Using Fire In Race-Based Interference With Housing Rights

From the Office of the U.S. Attorney (Chicago, Illinois):

• Accused of targeting an African-American family because of their race, a Joliet man was arrested [] by FBI agents on federal arson and civil rights charges for allegedly setting fire to their home on his street. No one was injured in the early morning blaze in June 2007, although the home was occupied by eight children and an adult at the time of the fire.
  
  
• The defendant, Brian James Moudry, was charged with one count each of arson, using fire to interfere with housing rights on the basis of race, and using fire to commit another felony in a three-count indictment that was returned by a federal grand jury last Thursday and unsealed [] following his arrest.

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• According to the indictment, Moudry set fire to a house located in the 300 block of South Reed Street, on June 17, 2007. The fire was reported at approximately 4:10 a.m. The indictment alleges that Moudry set the fire to “injure, intimidate, and interfere with, and attempt to injure, intimidate and interfere with, Victim A and her family, all of whom were African-American, because of their race” and because they were renting and occupying the dwelling. The family moved after the fire.
  
  
• The arson charge carries a mandatory minimum of 5 years and a maximum of 20 years in prison; arson to interfere with housing rights carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison; and arson while committing another felony carries a mandatory prison term of 10 years, which must be served consecutively to any other sentence, and each count carries a maximum fine of $250,000.

For the U.S. Attorney press release, see Joliet Man Arrested On Arson And Civil Rights Charges For Allegedly Setting Fire To Home Of African-American Family.

See also, The Joliet Herald-News: FBI: White supremacist set fire to black family’s house.