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United States of America v. Douglas Matthew Gurkins
Date: 11-24-2020
Case Number: 2:20-cr-00031-BO
Judge: Terrence W. Boyle
Court: United States District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina (Green County)
Plaintiff's Attorney: United States District Attorney�s Office, Greenville, North Carolina
Defendant's Attorney:
Greenville, North Carolina Criminal Defense Lawyer Directory
Description:
Greenville, North Carolina interference with fair housing indictment criminal defense lawyer represented Douglas Matthew Gurkins, age 34.
On August 6, 2020, Gurkins was charged with one count of criminal interference with the Fair Housing Act, for using threats of force against an African American family because of the family members� race and because they were renting a dwelling. At his guilty plea hearing, Gurkins admitted that in December 2014, he drove to the home of an African American family and yelled racial slurs at the family. The defendant told the family that they did not belong in their home and then threatened to shoot the family, to include four minor children, and any other African American that came onto the property. After making this threat, the defendant brandished a metal rod in a threatening manner. The family moved out of the neighborhood a few days after this incident. Within the next four years, the defendant engaged in similar criminal conduct toward two other African American families living in the same neighborhood.
�Part of what makes the United States free is the guarantee that we can live anywhere in this country without regard to the color of our skin and without murderous threats directed at us and our children,� said Eric Dreiband, Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights. �This defendant terrorized an entire family by threatening to kill African American parents and their four children and others because of their race. This kind of cruel terror has no place in the United States of America, and the U.S. Department of Justice will remain vigilant in prosecuting anyone who interferes with any families� housing rights.�
�This defendant threatened citizens of this District - a mom and her four children - because of their race. This is not who we are as Americans and prejudice of any kind is intolerable,� said U.S. Attorney Robert J. Higdon Jr. for the Eastern District of North Carolina. �The defendant�s threats violate the laws designed to ensure fair and equal treatment for us all and I am pleased we could bring this matter to federal court to vindicate those rights and to stand with this mom and her children to see that justice is served.�
"There is no way to undo the damage Gurkins did to these families with his hateful, repulsive, and violent behavior,� said Robert R. Wells, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI in North Carolina. �The FBI hopes today's prison sentence can provide them some sense of comfort. No one should ever be targeted or threatened because of the color of their skin, especially in their own homes."
The case was investigated by the FBI�s Charlotte Division, Greenville Resident Agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney Erin Blondel of the U.S. Attorney�s Office, Eastern District of North Carolina, and Trial Attorneys Shan Patel and Laura Gilson of the Civil Rights Division, Criminal Section, prosecuted the case.
Outcome:
Defendant was sentenced to 28 months in prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release.
Plaintiff's Experts:
Defendant's Experts:
Comments:
About This Case
What was the outcome of United States of America v. Douglas Matthew Gurkins?
The outcome was: Defendant was sentenced to 28 months in prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release.
Which court heard United States of America v. Douglas Matthew Gurkins?
This case was heard in United States District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina (Green County), NC. The presiding judge was Terrence W. Boyle.
Who were the attorneys in United States of America v. Douglas Matthew Gurkins?
Plaintiff's attorney: United States District Attorney�s Office, Greenville, North Carolina. Defendant's attorney: Greenville, North Carolina Criminal Defense Lawyer Directory.
When was United States of America v. Douglas Matthew Gurkins decided?
This case was decided on November 24, 2020.
Greenville, North Carolina Criminal Defense Lawyer Directory
Description:
Greenville, North Carolina interference with fair housing indictment criminal defense lawyer represented Douglas Matthew Gurkins, age 34.
On August 6, 2020, Gurkins was charged with one count of criminal interference with the Fair Housing Act, for using threats of force against an African American family because of the family members� race and because they were renting a dwelling. At his guilty plea hearing, Gurkins admitted that in December 2014, he drove to the home of an African American family and yelled racial slurs at the family. The defendant told the family that they did not belong in their home and then threatened to shoot the family, to include four minor children, and any other African American that came onto the property. After making this threat, the defendant brandished a metal rod in a threatening manner. The family moved out of the neighborhood a few days after this incident. Within the next four years, the defendant engaged in similar criminal conduct toward two other African American families living in the same neighborhood.
�Part of what makes the United States free is the guarantee that we can live anywhere in this country without regard to the color of our skin and without murderous threats directed at us and our children,� said Eric Dreiband, Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights. �This defendant terrorized an entire family by threatening to kill African American parents and their four children and others because of their race. This kind of cruel terror has no place in the United States of America, and the U.S. Department of Justice will remain vigilant in prosecuting anyone who interferes with any families� housing rights.�
�This defendant threatened citizens of this District - a mom and her four children - because of their race. This is not who we are as Americans and prejudice of any kind is intolerable,� said U.S. Attorney Robert J. Higdon Jr. for the Eastern District of North Carolina. �The defendant�s threats violate the laws designed to ensure fair and equal treatment for us all and I am pleased we could bring this matter to federal court to vindicate those rights and to stand with this mom and her children to see that justice is served.�
"There is no way to undo the damage Gurkins did to these families with his hateful, repulsive, and violent behavior,� said Robert R. Wells, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI in North Carolina. �The FBI hopes today's prison sentence can provide them some sense of comfort. No one should ever be targeted or threatened because of the color of their skin, especially in their own homes."
The case was investigated by the FBI�s Charlotte Division, Greenville Resident Agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney Erin Blondel of the U.S. Attorney�s Office, Eastern District of North Carolina, and Trial Attorneys Shan Patel and Laura Gilson of the Civil Rights Division, Criminal Section, prosecuted the case.
On August 6, 2020, Gurkins was charged with one count of criminal interference with the Fair Housing Act, for using threats of force against an African American family because of the family members� race and because they were renting a dwelling. At his guilty plea hearing, Gurkins admitted that in December 2014, he drove to the home of an African American family and yelled racial slurs at the family. The defendant told the family that they did not belong in their home and then threatened to shoot the family, to include four minor children, and any other African American that came onto the property. After making this threat, the defendant brandished a metal rod in a threatening manner. The family moved out of the neighborhood a few days after this incident. Within the next four years, the defendant engaged in similar criminal conduct toward two other African American families living in the same neighborhood.
�Part of what makes the United States free is the guarantee that we can live anywhere in this country without regard to the color of our skin and without murderous threats directed at us and our children,� said Eric Dreiband, Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights. �This defendant terrorized an entire family by threatening to kill African American parents and their four children and others because of their race. This kind of cruel terror has no place in the United States of America, and the U.S. Department of Justice will remain vigilant in prosecuting anyone who interferes with any families� housing rights.�
�This defendant threatened citizens of this District - a mom and her four children - because of their race. This is not who we are as Americans and prejudice of any kind is intolerable,� said U.S. Attorney Robert J. Higdon Jr. for the Eastern District of North Carolina. �The defendant�s threats violate the laws designed to ensure fair and equal treatment for us all and I am pleased we could bring this matter to federal court to vindicate those rights and to stand with this mom and her children to see that justice is served.�
"There is no way to undo the damage Gurkins did to these families with his hateful, repulsive, and violent behavior,� said Robert R. Wells, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI in North Carolina. �The FBI hopes today's prison sentence can provide them some sense of comfort. No one should ever be targeted or threatened because of the color of their skin, especially in their own homes."
The case was investigated by the FBI�s Charlotte Division, Greenville Resident Agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney Erin Blondel of the U.S. Attorney�s Office, Eastern District of North Carolina, and Trial Attorneys Shan Patel and Laura Gilson of the Civil Rights Division, Criminal Section, prosecuted the case.
Outcome:
Defendant was sentenced to 28 months in prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release.
Plaintiff's Experts:
Defendant's Experts:
Comments:
About This Case
What was the outcome of United States of America v. Douglas Matthew Gurkins?
The outcome was: Defendant was sentenced to 28 months in prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release.
Which court heard United States of America v. Douglas Matthew Gurkins?
This case was heard in United States District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina (Green County), NC. The presiding judge was Terrence W. Boyle.
Who were the attorneys in United States of America v. Douglas Matthew Gurkins?
Plaintiff's attorney: United States District Attorney�s Office, Greenville, North Carolina. Defendant's attorney: Greenville, North Carolina Criminal Defense Lawyer Directory.
When was United States of America v. Douglas Matthew Gurkins decided?
This case was decided on November 24, 2020.