OCALA, Fla. – A grand jury in the Middle District of Florida’s Ocala Division has charged two men with a federal hate crime for their alleged roles in the beating of a Black man because of his race, according to the Department of Justice.
Defendants Robert Dewayne Lashley, 52, and Roy Lamar Lashley, 55, allegedly aided and abetted each other in the incident “on or about” Nov. 17, 2021, according to an indictment filed June 7.
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The two are accused of using closed fists and the handle of an ax to beat the man “because of his actual and perceived race,” calling him racial slurs as it was happening, the DOJ said in a statement.
The indictment was unsealed Friday following Robert Lashley’s arrest, the DOJ said. Both defendants face a maximum of 10 years in prison if convicted, as well as three years of mandatory supervised release and a $250,000 fine.