Charlotte Man Indicted for Alleged Bias-Motivated Threats, Firearms Violation at Local Restaurant

After being charged with federal civil rights and gun crimes, a man from North Carolina faces hefty accusations. An indictment issued by the Western District of North Carolina accuses 31-year-old Maurice Hopkins of threatening eight people at a Charlotte restaurant with a pistol due to their race, color, religion, and national origin.

Hopkins allegedly threatened the people using force at Zambies Pizza on June 8 because they were enjoying the establishment’s services. The activities were also meant to deter the defendants from exercising their nationally guaranteed housing rights, according to the indictment. Three counts are included in the indictment; the first two are connected to civil rights violations, while the third is about allegations involving guns. Hopkins faces a required minimum sentence for the guns offense and a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison for the civil rights charges if found guilty.

The case was investigated by the FBI Charlotte Field Office. Trial Attorneys Daniel Grunert and Chloe Neely of the Justice Department’s Criminal Section’s Civil Rights Division, as well as Assistant U.S. Attorney Nick J. Miller for the Western District of North Carolina, will prosecute it. The announcement was made in conjunction with Robert M. DeWitt, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Charlotte Field Office, and Kristen Clarke, Assistant Attorney General of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, by Dena J. King, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina.

In a court of law, all defendants are assumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. The Justice Department reminds us that an indictment is merely an allegation. In the event of a conviction, a federal district court judge will base the sentence on the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines as well as other statutory considerations.

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