couple convicted twice for Tahoe beach beating

[The Straight Story]

Fairfield couple convicted twice for Tahoe beach beating


SACRAMENTO, CA - A Fairfield couple who already served jail time for beating an East Indian immigrant on a South Lake Tahoe beach in 2007 now face federal prison time for the same incident.

Joseph Silva, 56, and his wife Georgia Silva, 52, were convicted Thursday following a four-day trial in federal court on a charge they attacked Vishal Wadhwa because of his ethnic background. The jury acquitted the Silvas on a second charge that they attacked Wadhwa's fiancee, Ayesha Matthews.

Evidence from the trial showed Georgia Silva confronted the East Indian couple, both naturalized American citizens, with racial and ethnic slurs. According to witnesses, when Wadhwa tried to call police, Georgia Silva knocked him to the ground and Joseph Silva repeatedly kicked him in the face.

Wadhwa suffered multiple broken bones in his face and still suffers some mild disfigurement, according to a brief filed by the government.

"The verdict in this case serves as an important reminder that such conduct is not only un-American, it is criminal," said Benjamin B. Wagner, the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of California in a prepared statement.

http://www.news10.net/news/story.aspx?storyid=77067&catid=2

[mmonk]

1. Sad. So much ignorance and so much hate in our country.

[nebenaube]

2. how is this possible?

Is this not double jeopardy?

[AngryAmish]

3. NO. State punishment and federal punishment not considered double jeopardy

2 different sovereigns.

[The_Commonist]

4. They were convicted of 2 different crimes.

Assault by the state, civil rights violations by the feds.
Hopefully, they will each spend 10 years in federal prison.
Someone in the comments section of that article said these people have a long history of racially motivated crimes...