March 29, 2024

Two Men Plead Guilty in Federal Hate Crime Case

Dodge City, KS (westernkansasnews.com) Two men from Dodge City have pleaded guilty to different charges in an attack perpetrated against several men of Somalian descent on June 19, 2015.

According to a Justice Department release 24 year old Armando Sotelo pleaded guilty to a federal hate crime charge for punching one of the victims while 32 year old Omar Martinez admitted committing perjury to investigators looking into the attack. Martinez was also accused of using a broken glass bottle to come after one of the victims.

Sentencing for both men is scheduled for February 22.  Sotelo could receive a maximum 10 year sentence, Martinez five years.