HMONG TARGETED FOR DEATH IN WISCONSIN

by Michael Liu
8/21/01
updated 5/13/02

Six men convicted of attacking Hmong families have been sentenced to imprisonment for terms from 25 months to nearly 20 years in federal prison. The six were also ordered to pay monetary damages

Michael Nicholson and Andrew Franz received the longest sentences. Others convicted were Augustine LaBarge, Miguel Rodela, Tomas Vanlannen, and Casey Tegelman.

The defendants admitted in court that they did not know the families but targeted them because they were Asian.

A federal court on August 16th indicted five twenty year old men in Manitowoc, Wisconsin of plotting to kill Asian families.

Two of the suspects are accused of burning a Hmong family' s house in Manitowoc while the family was inside. The family of Ger and Chao Lee included six children.

The five were also charged with using explosives on another Asian family's home and trying to shoot them with shotguns as they came out. A police patrol car scared them off.

Bo Thao of Hmong National Development commented that, "Hate crimes against Hmong people happens all across the country. Many incidences go unreported, and our community remains silent. Let's work together to bring national attention to this matter."