WASHINGTON, Aug. 26 (UPI) -- Three Pennsylvania men face federal indictment on charges stemming from a cross burning in the yard of a black teenager's home, officials said.
Michael Bealonis and Kenneth Stiffey Jr. of Robinson, Pa., and Michael Bracken of Bolivar, Pa., were charged with conspiracy to interfere with the housing rights of another, interfering with the housing rights of another and using fire in the commission of a felony, a U.S. Department of Justice release said Thursday.
The charges carry a maximum punishment of 30 years in prison and a $750,000 fine, the Justice Department said.
The FBI together with the Pennsylvania State Police investigated the November 2009 incident in Bolivar, Pa., which led to the federal grand jury indictment, the release said.
The case will be prosecuted by attorneys from the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Pennsylvania, the Justice Department announced.
