A white man has pleaded guilty to federal charges related to building a wooden cross and setting it ablaze near the homes of black families in a small Mississippi town.
Federal prosecutors said Tuesday that Graham Williamson admitted that he and another man burned the cross to frighten and intimidate African American residents in Seminary, Mississippi, in October 2017.
On Monday, Williamson pleaded guilty to interfering with housing rights and conspiring to use fire to commit a felony.
He faces up to 30 years in prison when he’s sentenced Nov. 5.
Williamson’s accomplice, Louie Bernard Revette, pleaded guilty to similar charges in April and is to be sentenced next month.
Seminary is a town of approximately 300 people, located about 70 miles (113 kilometers) south of Jackson.
