Colorado Springs Man Sentenced to 46 Months in Federal Prison for Orchestrating Mayoral Election Hate Crime Hoax

Derrick Bernard receives 46 months in federal prison for staging a 2023 cross-burning hoax intended to influence the Colorado Springs mayoral election.

By: AXL Media

Published: Apr 2, 2026, 9:51 AM EDT

Source: Information for this report was sourced from U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Colorado

A Calculated Scheme to Manipulate Local Elections

The sentencing of Derrick Bernard marks the conclusion of a federal investigation into a high-profile "black ops style" conspiracy designed to interfere with the Colorado Springs mayoral runoff. Evidence presented during the trial revealed that Bernard, a self-declared activist, staged a cross burning in front of a Black candidate's campaign sign on April 23, 2023. The act was not a random expression of hate, but a pre-meditated theatrical event intended to create a false narrative of racial intimidation to benefit a specific political agenda just weeks before voters headed to the polls.

Digital Footprints Reveal Pre-Meditated Deception

Federal investigators successfully linked Bernard to the crime through a series of incriminating electronic communications sent ten days before the incident. According to court records, Bernard messaged the very candidate he claimed to be protecting, stating he was mobilizing a "squad in defense," before immediately texting co-defendant Ashley Blackcloud that he had a "plan." This digital trail provided the jury with a clear timeline of the conspiracy, illustrating that the subsequent cross burning was the execution of a strategy rather than a spontaneous reaction to local political tensions.

Fabricated Evidence Distributed to National Media

Following the staged event, Bernard and Blackcloud engaged in an aggressive disinformation campaign to maximize the impact of their hoax. The duo emailed video footage and photographs of the burning cross to various media outlets and national organizations, explicitly blaming the candidate’s political rival for the racist act. By masquerading as whistleblowers of a hate crime, the defendants attempted to weaponize social media platforms to spread malicious falsehoods, leveraging the emotional weight of racial trauma to deceive the public and local leadership.