DENVER • Deanna West, one of the three convicted in the hate crime “hoax” that shook the community of Colorado Springs during the 2023 mayoral runoff election, avoided jail time and was sentenced to probation in federal court last week.

In November, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for Colorado announced that a federal grand jury indicted Derrick Bernard, 36, Ashley Blackcloud, 41, and West, 38, for “maliciously conveying false information about a threat made by means of fire” to draw support for the eventual mayoral race winner, Yemi Mobolade, who is Colorado Springs’ first elected Black mayor.

The indictment alleged the crew staged a hate crime by defacing one of Mobolade’s campaign signs with a racial slur and placing a small burning cross in front in the early hours of April 23, 2023.

West pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit an offense or to defraud the U.S. in March. Her plea agreement dismissed the other count in the indictment, which was using instrumentalities of interstate commerce to maliciously convey false information to intimidate someone by means of fire.

As a result, U.S. District Court Judge Regina Rodriguez sentenced West to three years of probation and a $100 mandatory assessment fee on Sept. 18.

West later went on to testify against her co-defendants during the May trial that found Bernard and Blackcloud guilty on both counts.

The weeklong trial saw days of testimony from witnesses and law enforcement. Mobolade and his wife, Abbey Mobolade, took the stand, often with tears in their eyes. Both testified that the incident did not feel like a “hoax” to them and impacted their lives significantly. The jury deliberated for roughly four hours before returning the guilty verdicts.

West testified that she wanted to “tell the truth” ahead of her sentencing in September. During her hourslong testimony, West said she was “only following instructions” from her alleged co-conspirators. When questioned by the defense about the details of her plea agreement, West stated she was not promised the probation she eventually received, and knew jail time was still on the table.

The three worked at the local radio station Bernard ran, “Family Flavors The Slide World Broadcasting Network,” or “The Slide.” Shortly after the news of the hoax broke, the station shut down due to financial difficulties.

Blackcloud is set for sentencing on Nov. 18, while Bernard’s hearing has yet to be scheduled due to ongoing competency concerns, court records show. Both are facing up to 15 years imprisonment and $500,000 in fines following the guilty verdict.

Bernard is already serving life in prison without chance of parole after he was convicted of ordering the 2019 murder in Colorado Springs of William Underwood, who went by the rapper name “FYL Jackk.”

Aee Shawn Mathews, 27, the accused triggerman, was acquitted of killing Underwood, but found guilty of conspiracy to commit the killing in trial and sentenced to eight years in state prison in July, according to past Gazette coverage.