A federal judge handed down a decade-long prison sentence today to an Oklahoma City man who admitted to brutally beating a restaurant employee solely because of the victim’s race.
Braden Birdsong, 28, appeared before U.S. District Court Judge Bernard Jones in the Western District of Oklahoma, where he was ordered to serve 120 months in federal prison. The sentencing follows Birdsong’s earlier guilty plea to a federal hate crime violation stemming from an unprovoked assault in the summer of 2023.
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According to court documents and statements made during the hearing, the incident occurred on August 25, 2023. The victim, identified in court records as D.G., was working at a local restaurant and cleaning the parking lot when Birdsong approached him.
Prosecutors stated that Birdsong, who is white, launched a violent attack on D.G., a Black man, punching him in the head repeatedly while shouting racial slurs and other anti-Black rhetoric. The assault left the victim with bodily injuries. During the legal proceedings, Birdsong explicitly admitted that he targeted the man because of his race and color.
Federal officials described the attack as an act “driven by hate” that has no place in the community.
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“Crimes motivated by hate threaten the safety and dignity of our communities and will be met with firm accountability,” said U.S. Attorney Robert J. Troester. “The Justice Department remains committed to enforcing federal civil rights laws and protecting individuals from hate-based violence.”
The case was investigated by the FBI Oklahoma City Field Office. Special Agent in Charge Doug Goodwater emphasized the senseless nature of the crime.
“There is no place in our society for the hatred and prejudice that fueled this vicious attack, and no one should fear being targeted simply because of who they are or what they look like,” Goodwater said. “We hope today’s sentencing brings some measure of justice to the victim.”
The announcement was made jointly by Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, U.S. Attorney Troester, and Special Agent in Charge Goodwater.
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