Three people have been indicted on federal charges for allegedly staging a hate crime hoax before the Colorado Springs mayoral runoff election last year, the U.S. Attorney's Office announced.

Three people were indicted on Tuesday for charges related to an alleged hate crime hoax that occurred during the 2023 Colorado Springs mayoral run-off election where a candidate's campaign sign was vandalized with a racial slur in front of a burning cross.

In April 2023, the three allegedly spray painted a campaign sign with a racial slur and burned a wooden cross in front of it, prosecutors said.

The FBI alleges that Bernard then worked with Blackcloud and West to stage a cross burning in front of a campaign sign for Yemi defaced with a racial slur in the early hours of April 23, 2023. After the fact,