Plea Bargain Agreement in Oregon Cross-Burning/KKK Case

March 9th, 2009

Hate has reared its ugly head in Medford, Oregon, but justice is finally swooping in.  In the second cross-burning case we've written about this year, two men from Medford, Gary Moss, 38, and Devan Klausegger, 29, pled guilty last week to a federal charge of conspiring to interfere with civil rights on May 26, 2008. 

According to the plea agreement, Moss admitted to pouring flammable liquid in the shape of a cross and the letters "KKK" on the front lawn of Medford homeowners John and Sol Whyte, a mixed-race couple with two daughters.  Klausegger aided Moss by giving him a device to ignite the liquid.

Sol Whyte, an Hispanic woman, was born in California and lived in Mexico before moving to Oregon when she was nine years old.  Her husband Jonathan is from Jamaica, and he has lived in Oregon for nine years.
 
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Bud Fitzgerald and Trial Attorney Roy Conn from the Civil Rights Division.  Moss and Klausegger are scheduled for sentencing on May 5, 2009.  They could face up to ten years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.  According to Sol Whyte, a federal lawyer has stated that Moss and Klausegger agreed in their plea arrangements to spend four and one-half years in prison.

Residents of Medford have come together to ensure that incidents like this never happen again.  The Whytes say they are grateful for the support they have received from their neighbors and several groups within the city.

Read the full story here and here.