Man caught CROSS BURNING, as jurors fail to accept his bizarre excuse

A Colorado Springs man has been sentenced to almost four years in prison following a bizarre cross-burning incident that served as a desperate attempt to elect a mayoral candidate.

Derrick Bernard, 36, was sentenced on April 1 after he was found guilty on conspiracy charges for burning a cross in front of a black political candidate's campaign sign defaced with a racial slur, according to the US Attorney's Office.

Bernard and his wife, Ashley Blackcloud, 40, set up the cross burning to frame Wayne Williams, who is white and was running against Mayor Yemi Mobolade in a runoff election.

The scheme was intended to help elect Mobolade by making it appear as though Williams had burned the cross.

Bernard and Blackcloud shared the shocking image on their social media profiles, emailed it to Mobolade, and distributed it to media outlets.

Evidence uncovered during the trial revealed that, prior to the incident, Bernard sent a message to Mobolade that said he was 'mobilizing my squad in defense. Black ops style big brother.'

He then texted Blackcloud, 'I got a plan. The klan cannot be allowed to run this city again.'

Cross burning is protected by the First Amendment, but prosecutors argued that the demonstration was threatening to Mobolade.

A Colorado Springs man was sentenced to four years in prison for a hate crime hoax. He burned a cross in front of a campaign sign for a black mayoral candidate defaced with a racial slur, pictured above

Derrick Bernard, pictured above in a social media post in 2023, conspired with two other individuals to make the cross burning look like a targeted attack against a black mayoral candidate

Prosecutors argued that the video was threatening to Mayor Yemi Mobolade and Bernard was convicted on conspiracy-related charges. He's pictured above in a social media post

Mobolade testified that the message forced him and his wife to stop walking their children to school for fear of their safety.

He added that his wife started having nightmares about their home being set on fire, and they purchased an escape ladder.

'I don’t believe any family should have to live like that,' Mobolade said.

Mobolade denied any involvement with the cross-burning scheme. He said the extreme activists had taken advantage of him during the election.

The mayor said in a statement that Bernard's sentencing brought 'accountability and closure to a deeply painful chapter' for his family.

'What happened was intentional, calculated, and deeply disturbing. The actions carried out by Mr. Bernard caused real harm; not only to my family, but to others as well,' Mobolade added.

'It was meant to intimidate, to divide, and to instill fear; something no family should ever have to endure. and, as Judge Rodriguez noted in her ruling, it also sought to disrupt and undermine our local democratic process.'

The mayor went on to say that as a pastor, the cross has always represented 'hope, sacrifice and love,' and the burning of it 'was a distortion of a sacred symbol'

He thanked law enforcement for holding the perpetrators accountable, adding that although the experience had changed him, it had not shaken his resolve.

Prosecutors stressed the importance of the demonstration occurring within days of the mayoral election.

Mobolade and Williams were facing off at the time in a runoff after the general election on April 4, 2023.

Neither received a majority of the votes, so a runoff was scheduled for May 16. A day after the general election, Bernard texted Blackcloud that he wanted to talk 'in person' because he was 'not talking on the phone bout nothing that's bout to happen,' according to a federal indictment.

On April 13, Bernard messaged Blackcloud again on Facebook, 'I can’t let the klan retake the city.'

Mayor Yemi Mobolade denied any involvement in the hate crime hoax. He said the video was threatening to him and his family and made them fear for their safety. Mobolade is pictured above at a press conference in 2023

The cross burning hoax was intended to frame candidate Wayne Williams, pictured above. Williams ultimately lost the runoff election to Mobolade

He added that he believed Mobolade 'really won already,' but the election was heading to a runoff because 'they ain't tryna let an African win.'

Mobolade won the runoff and became the first black and non-Republican mayor of Colorado Springs.

Williams is white and previously served as Colorado's Secretary of State as a Republican.

On April 23, Bernard, Blackcloud and a woman named Deanna West painted a racial slur over Mobolade's campaign sign and erected a wooden cross in front of it.

They then burned the cross and sent the video footage to local news outlets. Investigators discovered their actions by tracing the Gmail account they used to spread the vile video.

Authorities also recovered surveillance footage showing three people staging the crime between 2.30 and 3.30 am.

After the video gained traction, they boosted it on their social media profiles. West responded to a post sharing the video, writing: 'This is completely uncalled for, I'm disgusted at this.'

Bernard posted a link to the video on his Facebook, and wrote: 'Respectfully if I find out personally... Someone will drown... Period.'

Bernard received the sentence while serving time for a separate crime. He was convicted in 2024 of orchestrating the killing of a man named William Underwood, who went by the stage name FYL Jackk.

Blackcloud and Bernard were convicted of conspiracy to threaten or convey false information about a threat

Bernard and two others distributed the video to local media outlets. He then posted on Facebook, condemning the cross burning

Deanna West, who was also convicted of the crime, also commented on the video that the cross burning 'disgusted' her

In a lengthy statement shared on social media at the time, Bernard denied the allegations and said he was framed for the crime.

Blackcloud was sentenced in January to one year and one day in federal prison on conspiracy to threaten or convey false information about a threat.

West pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy and reached a plea agreement with prosecutors. She was sentenced to three years of probation last September.

Mobolade is now running for re-election in Colorado Springs. He said in court that he would be more cautious in the future.

The Daily Mail has reached out to Bernard's representation and Mayor Mobolade's office for comment.