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Posted: February 13, 2003
Three white supremacists pleaded guilty to federal civil rights charges on February 7 in U.S. District Court in Covington, Kentucky, for intimidating and harassing an African-American family.
From early 2001, Devlin Burke, 23, Matthew Campbell, 22, and Jeffery Henson, 23, engaged in what prosecutors described as a "campaign of terror" against West Covington resident Gloria Powell and her two children, Maurice and DaVonya, eventually forcing them to move out of their home.
Prosecutors said the three men are avowed white supremacists and that two of them, Campbell and Burke, have had ties to the Imperial Klans of America, a Ku Klux Klan group based in Powderly, Kentucky, that is one of the most active Klan groups in the nation.
According to court papers, the men admitted shouting racial slurs at the Powells, threatening them with violence, and smashing the windows and outdoor lights of their home. They also admitted to chasing 17-year-old Maurice Powell with sticks and bats and stomping on him with while yelling racial epithets. They each face up to 10 years in prison.
Devlin Burke's mother, Kimberly Hill, 43, who lived across the road from the Powells, also pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor violations of the federal Fair Housing Act. Following the racially motivated violence against the Powells, Hill, who lived with Devlin, intimidated the Powells with racial slurs and threats. She faces up to two years in prison.
The Imperial Klans of America, a relatively young Klan group, originated as a splinter group of disgruntled members of the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan. It has approximately 20 chapters spread through more than 15 states, although individual chapters are small. The group is known primarily for its annual Nordic Fest, a three-day event featuring white power music and white supremacist speakers.
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