A Kansas man has been sentenced to 80 months in prison for issuing race-based threats and interfering with housing rights. Austin Schoemann, 31, from Wichita, pleaded guilty to multiple charges including interference with federally protected activities and interstate threats.
Schoemann admitted to brandishing a firearm and using racial slurs against two Black juveniles at a QuikTrip gasoline station in July 2022. He also threatened a Black adult who intervened. Additionally, between January and August 2022, he made threats against a white woman for associating with Black people, sending threatening videos and messages to her family.
Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division stated that "racially-motivated threats of violence cannot be tolerated in our society." She emphasized the department's commitment to prosecuting hate crimes.
U.S. Attorney Kate E. Brubacher for the District of Kansas highlighted the impact of hate crimes on communities and urged victims or witnesses to report such incidents.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI Kansas City Field Office and Wichita Police. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron Smith along with Trial Attorneys Thomas Johnson and Erin Monju from the Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section.