Colorado

Hate Crime Statistics Case Examples News DOJ Offices

2022 Hate Crime Statistics for Colorado

Fast Facts on Colorado Hate Crime Incidents*

Bias Motivation Categories by Year
Bias Motivation Category	2020	2021	2022
Race/Ethnicity/Ancestry	184	182	201
Religion	35	40	46
Sexual Orientation	49	67	71
Disability	5	4	4
Gender	0	1	1
Gender Identity	10	18	20
Total:	283	312	343

Types of Crime
Crimes Against Persons	252	64.8%
Crimes Against Property	132	33.9%
Crimes Against Society	5	1.2%

Bias Motivation Categories
Race/Ethnicity/Ancestry	201	58.6%
Religion	46	13.4%
Sexual Orientation	71	20.7%
Disability	4	1.2%
Gender	1	0.3%
Gender Identity	20	5.8%

*2021 was the first year that the annual hate crimes statistics were reported entirely through the National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS). As a result of the shift to NIBRS-only data collection, law enforcement agency participation in submitting all crime statistics, including hate crimes, fell significantly from 2020 to 2021.

Case Examples

A Colorado man pleaded guilty to a hate crime charge in connection with a church fire he set in Loveland, Colorado. The defendant faces up to 20 years in prison.

According to the evidence, the defendant set the church on fire during the evening of January 19, 2023, by throwing two Molotov cocktails at the church – one at the front door and the other at the basement. The defendant admitted that he was motivated by the religious nature of the church and intended to destroy the church.

Press Release: https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/colorado-man-pleads-guilty-federal-hate-crime-church-arson

A Colorado man pled guilty to a federal hate crime involving an attempt to kill after stabbing a Black man.

On December 21, 2019, the defendant walked into a fast food restaurant where the victim was waiting to meet with the restaurant manager about a pending job application. The defendant approached the man from behind and, without warning, stabbed him twice in the neck. The victim was able to prevent the defendant from stabbing him again and eventually break free from his grip. The defendant later admitted that he was trying to kill the man because he was Black.

He will be sentenced on September 9, 2021 and faces a maximum sentence of life in prison.

Press Release: https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/colorado-man-pleads-guilty-federal-hate-crime-after-unprovoked-stabbing-black-man

Press Release: https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/colorado-man-charged-hate-crime-after-unprovoked-stabbing-Black-man

A Colorado man, who self-identifies as a neo-Nazi and white supremacist, was sentenced to over 19 years in federal prison followed by 15 years of supervised release for plotting to blow up the Temple Emanuel Synagogue in Pueblo, Colorado.

In conversations with undercover FBI agents, the defendant repeatedly expressed his hatred of Jewish people and said that he wanted the bombing of the synagogue to send a message to Jewish people that they must leave his town “otherwise people will die.” The defendant’s conduct meets the federal definition of domestic terrorism.

Press Release: https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/southern-colorado-man-sentenced-more-19-years-plotting-blow-synagogue