One count in the indictment charges Curtis M. Gottler with attempting to interfere with the right of the couple to sell their home without discrimination on the basis of race. According to the indictment, on August 24, 2007, Gottler left a handwritten note at the couple’s home indicating that he would track them down and harm they if they sold their home to African-Americans.
Gottler is also charged with one count of attempting to interfere with the real estate agent’s right to assist the couple in selling their home without regard to race, and one count of making a threat in interstate commerce. According to the indictment, these charges relate to a threatening e-mail Gottler sent to the real estate agent who was representing the couple in the sale of their home last September 15, 2007.
The defendant is also charged with two counts stemming from a letter he allegedly sent to an African-American resident of Livonia in which he threatened to harm the resident if the resident failed to leave Livonia. The letter was sent last June 25, 2007. For this incident, the indictment charges Gottler with one hate crime and one count of sending a threat through the US mail.
If convicted, Gottler faces a maximum punishment of 13 years of imprisonment and a fine of $800,000. – USDOJ
Source: Pacific News Center
