SC pair who targeted, robbed Hispanic people at gunpoint guilty of hate crimes
A man and woman from Columbia have pleaded guilty to federal hate crime charges after engaging in a crime spree targeting Hispanic people.
Gabriel Brunson, 20, and Sierra Fletcher, 33, both of Columbia, targeted people they identified as Mexican and Hispanic, sometimes tracking victims to their homes before robbing them at gunpoint, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
Both defendants pleaded guilty to hate crimes for their involvement in a Jan. 22, 2021, armed robbery when they followed victims from a grocery store and restaurant to their home before robbing them at gunpoint, according to a statement released by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for South Carolina. The pair stole cash and a cellphone.
“These defendants targeted Hispanic victims for violent acts of armed robbery because of their race, national origin and perceived vulnerability,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “No person should have to fear for their lives or property because of their race or national origin.”
The plea agreement, announced Thursday, was filed on Aug. 17. Fletcher, known as “Yella Flow” according to court records, also admitted to being involved in several other robberies on Jan. 30, 2021, including a carjacking and a home invasion of other Hispanic victims, according to prosecutors.
Brunson and Fletcher were also charged with conspiracy, federal robbery charges and carrying firearms in connection with those crimes.
“These were not crimes of opportunity. The defendants systematically robbed at gunpoint people whom they identified as Mexican or Hispanic,” said Assistant Director Luis Quesada of the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division.
There is no law punishing hate crimes in South Carolina. As a result, it falls to federal prosecutors to charge cases that target victims because of identifies such as race, gender or sexual identity.
“Prosecuting civil rights crimes is a priority for our office,” said U.S. Attorney Adair Boroughs for the District of South Carolina. “Federal law recognizes that crimes targeting people of a particular race or national origin is particularly egregious, and we stand ready to enforce the national hate crimes law here in South Carolina.”
The plea agreements require both defendants to pay restitution. Sentencing in federal court does not take place immediately after the plea. A federal district court judge will determine a sentence based on federal sentencing guidelines and a presentence report prepared by the U.S. Probation Office.
The case was investigated by the FBI Columbia Field Office along with the Richland County Sheriff’s Department and the Lexington County Sheriff’s Office.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ben Garner and Brook Andrews for the District of South Carolina and trial attorney Andrew Manns of the Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section are prosecuting the case.
Fletcher was represented by Andrew B. Farley. Brunson was represented by Aimee J. Zmroczek.
