COLUMBIA, S.C. — A federal grand jury in Columbia, South Carolina, has returned an indictment charging two men from Columbia with hate crimes in connection to a series of bias-motivated armed robberies targeting Hispanic victims.
Charles Antonio Clippard, 26, and Michael Joseph Knox, 28, allegedly conspired to target people they identified as Mexican or Hispanic in public spaces, including gas stations and grocery stores, during January and February 2021. After choosing their victim, Clippard and Knox robbed them at gunpoint, according to court records.
Both men are charged with three counts of hate crimes, one count of conspiracy, one count of carjacking, and three firearms offenses. If convicted, each faces a minimum penalty of 21 years in prison for the firearms offenses, a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison on each hate crime count and a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison on the carjacking count.
A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Richland County Sheriff’s Department, Town of Lexington Police Department and Columbia Police Department cooperated with the FBI Columbia Field Office investigating this case; Assistant U.S. Attorney Ben Garner for the District of South Carolina and Trial Attorney Andrew Manns of the Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section are prosecuting the case.