VIA CNN
A man accused of planning a ‘killing spree’ against African-Americans in a 2008 plot that also targeted then-presidential candidate Barack Obama will be sentenced Friday in a federal courtroom in Tennessee.
Daniel Cowart, of Bells, Tennessee, admitted to conspiring with Paul Schlesselman of West Helena, Arkansas, in planning to kill more than 100 African-Americans, according to the Justice Department.
The two are self-described white supremacists who met online through a mutual friend, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Jackson, Tennessee, has said.
The men were arrested in October 2008 after an aborted robbery attempt outside Jackson, according to court records.
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Cowart pleaded guilty in March to threatening to kill and inflict bodily harm upon a presidential candidate, conspiracy, intentional damage to religious property, discharge of a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, and multiple gun charges related to carrying a sawed-off shotgun across state lines.
His co-conspirator Schlesselman pleaded guilty in January to conspiracy, threatening to kill and inflict bodily harm upon a presidential candidate, and one count of possessing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence. Schlesselman was sentenced in April to 10 years in prison.
Cowart faces up to 75 years in prison under his plea agreement, the Justice Department said.
