David Duke, the longtime anti-Semite and former Klansman, on December 18 pleaded guilty in federal court in New Orleans to charges of mail fraud and filing a false tax return. Duke's plea bargain follows a self-imposed exile from the United States of nearly three years.

The plea bargain came the same day federal authorities issued an indictment against him for mail fraud and for filing a false 1998 tax return. Duke, who will be sentenced on March 19, 2003, faces up to 15 months in prison and $10,000 in fines.

Though the charges were not directly related to Duke's racist and anti-Semitic activities, they were the result of his years of white supremacist outreach to his followers.

The onetime Louisiana state legislator has repeatedly campaigned for federal and state offices on a program of white supremacy, telling supporters, as he did in 1999 that "multi-culturalism and 'diversity' were lies" and that "alien cultures and values" would dominate whites.

Duke's campaign documents paraphrased the neo-Nazi "14 Words" slogan ("We must secure the existence of our people and a future for white children"), while his anti-Semitic and racist propaganda kept the campaign contributions flowing despite his failure at the polls.

Duke's legal problems began in January 2000, when law enforcement officers searched his Mandeville, Louisiana home, seeking evidence information about hundreds of thousands of dollars of political contributions Duke allegedly used to support a gambling habit; they also sought evidence about donor lists Duke allegedly sold to Louisiana politicians.

At the time authorities executed the warrant, Duke was on the latest of several visits to Russia, trying to capitalize on growing anti-Semitism in that country. While engaging in his globetrotting anti-Semitic efforts, Duke attempted to guide his followers in the U.S., organized as the European-American Unity and Rights Organization, or EURO.

James McPherson, Duke's attorney, told reporters in early December about ongoing negotiations for a plea deal with the government. About a week and a half later, Duke returned to the U.S. with little fanfare.

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