A Spotsylvania County MAGA patriot pleaded guilty in federal court this week in a hate-crime case in which he tried to shoot two Latino immigrants after asking them how long they’d been in the U.S.
It’s fair to assume that Douglas Wayne Cornett, 58, is ripe for a presidential pardon from Donald Trump, as long as somebody with cash can get access to The Mad King’s inner circle.
According to court documents, on the evening of Feb. 28, 2024, Cornett followed a box truck driven by an unnamed victim, an adult Latino male, into a Sheetz gas station along Interstate 95.
Cornett then asked a second unnamed man, an adult Latino male who is a friend of the first man, how long the first man had been present in the United States.
Upon learning that the first man had arrived within the last two years, Cornett drew handgun and fired six rounds, striking the first man three times and the second man once.
Cornett later confessed to a Spotsylvania County sheriff’s deputy to shooting the victims because of his perception of their national origin.
“He then described his anger at illegal immigration, telling the detective that he was ‘pissed’ about undocumented migrants receiving welfare funds, phones and health insurance, and that he had ‘driven around before with the same thought,’” court documents state.
“Cornett later asked the detective whether he could be ‘charged for [his] thoughts,’ and went on to explain that he fantasized about flying an Apache helicopter gunship to the border and firing on undocumented migrants traveling into the United States in order ‘to deter’ other undocumented migrants from attempting to cross the border.”
Cornett’s housemates told detectives that he was “kind of obsessed” with cable news stories about undocumented immigrants entering the United States.
Neither victim was identified as an undocumented immigrant within court documents.
Let’s presume the men weren’t named to prevent them from being doxxed and retargeted by another would-be MAGA patriot.
“Hate crimes driven by bias against national origin or any other protected characteristic are a direct assault on the principles of equality and justice that define our nation. The Civil Rights Division is committed to vigorously prosecuting such acts of violence to secure a just outcome,” said Harmeet K. Dhillon, who works in the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division.
Wow, so, the Justice Department still has a Civil Rights Division.
Who knew?
“Crimes like Douglas Cornett’s, acts of hate-motivated violence, victimize not just the individual, but harm families, communities, and groups by robbing them of their sense of security,” said Erik S. Siebert, the Interim U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “Every person has a right to live free of the fear of violence and the menace of hate, and my office is committed to eliminating both.”
Siebert is a VMI grad and a former cop with a law degree from the University of Richmond.
He might want to start updating his resume, after prosecuting a MAGA patriot.
“Hate crimes not only harm individuals, but undermine the fabric of our communities,” said Stephen Farina, the Acting Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Richmond Field Office. “FBI Richmond is steadfast in its dedication to investigating these violations thoroughly and swiftly to ensure justice for the victims and to protect the American people.”
What’s with all these interims and acting people in charge?
The Trumpers need to get their s**t straight.
For now, this Cornett guy faces a mandatory 10-year sentence on the firearms violation and a maximum sentence of life imprisonment for the two hate crimes.
His final sentence will be determined at a sentencing hearing scheduled for Nov. 13.
That gives his side five months to raise money for a bribe, er, somebody to buy some TrumpCoin.