Texas man sentenced to federal prison for anti-gay hate crime attacks
Chancler Encalade will serve 10 years in prison for taking part in armed robberies and assaults of gay men
A 20-year-old Texas man has been sentenced to 10 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to taking part in hate crimes that targeted gay men.
Chancler Encalade, Jr., of Frisco, was part of a group of four men who were charged with assaulting several gay men in a series of home invasions. The men would arrange to meet their victims on the gay dating app Grindr before assaulting their victims, binding them with tape, and abusing them before robbing them.
Encalade pleaded guilty to assaulting one of the victims, berating him with anti-gay slurs, displaying a firearm to intimidate the victim, and stealing items from his home, as well as the man’s car.
Encalade’s co-conspirator, Nigel Garrett, previously accepted a 15-year prison sentence as part of a plea deal in which he admitted to kidnappings, carjackings, and using firearms during the commission of crimes, as well as bias enhancements for those crimes.
Cameron Ajiduah previously pleaded guilty, but withdrew his plea and decided to go to trial instead. He and co-defendant Anthony Shelton are scheduled to appear in federal court in Plano on April 13.
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