Nebraska Woman Found Guilty of Faking Hate Crime

Police believe the hoax was meant to inspire positive change for the LGBT community

A Nebraska woman has been found guilty of faking a hate crime, reports AP, after months of police suspicion that she'd lied about being attacked in July by three men who allegedly carved anti-gay slurs on to her stomach and arms.

Lincoln resident and former University of Nebraska basketball star Charlie Rogers was discovered by police last summer after a neighbor reported that Rogers had crawled to her home bloodied and screaming. Rogers told authorities that the men broke into her home, held her down, tied her up, and sliced derogatory words on to her body, but the evidence found at the scene didn't corroborate that story, and a forensic pathologist called in by the FBI said the cuts were caused either by Rogers herself or with her permission.

Now Rogers could face up to a year in jail and $1,000 fine.

Why would she fake the crime? Police believe she thought it could help provoke change in a city that had only just passed a new "fairness ordinance" banning discrimination against members of the LGBT community. An activist herself, Rogers vowed to be a "catalyst" for change in a Facebook message posted shortly before the incident.

"I'm just dumbfounded," said Linda Rappl, the neighbor who called 911 on Rogers' behalf. "I'm still having a hard time believing it's a hoax."

Via AP and the Journal Star.

What effect, if any, will this hoax have on efforts to improve conditions for LGBT folks?

[Denizen_Kate]

Any hoax is detrimental to the cause the hoaxer claims to support. She didn't help her cause, and probably hurt it.

[MRMacrum]

She did not hurt the LGBT cause for me. I voted already and would have voted the same regardless of this bonehead. She is the exception, not the rule.

[Romans120]

Well said Kate, and very true.

[mimi57]

@Romans120 Hi, How are things?...Glad you're back!

[Fishbone345]

Not sure how she was trying to help it. Her community had already passed an anti discrimination act. What more was she hoping to achieve with this act of lunacy?

[Denizen_Kate]

@Fishbone345 - New bear? How many polar bear pics do you have?

Lunacy is about right. She just proves there are boneheads in every segment of American society.

[DARSB]

Doubt any minds will be changed. I don't recall the last self-mutilating drama queen making much of a difference. http://goo.gl/UhMhU

[mtkopf]

Does she still have that scar?

[Fishbone345]

I had forgotten about that piece of work. Thanks for the flashback friend! Ah the memories of stupidity, same as the new ones.

[Neo_NtheMatrix]

I believe every law abiding man, woman, and child who is a legal citizen of this country deserves to be treated with respect and dignity regardless of their race, sex, age, sexual orientation, class, or whatever other category liberals want to use to divide us. Gay people should not be targets of violence under any circumstance. However, it is unacceptable for a person to fake a crime to get sympathy for their cause. This woman deserves to be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law possible. I'm tired of liberals trying to paint everyone else as hateful when they are the actual divisive ones.

[kirbstomp1]

I would vote up your comment under the condition you drop the last sentence. For the first time I agreed with everything you said but the last sentence, you made a very logical and reasonable statement that couldn't have been argued with, until you threw party behind it. You act like just because someone that is affiliated with a party makes their actions something everyone from that party would do. This woman is insane. I know very intelligent and smart dems, as well as republicans who tend to not worry about social issues.

[mtkopf]

I agree with kirbstomp. Why don't you check out the link from darsb post where a McCain campaigner slashed a "b" into her own face.
There are wackjobs on both sides of the aisle.

[Jet_Silverman]

I was with you until the last sentence.

[Dan_Tien]

I agree, except for the liberal baiting like" "...regardless of their race, sex, age, sexual orientation, class, or whatever other category liberals want to use to divide us." Those aren't categories created by liberals, and I know that you are intelligent enough to know it.

[Neo_NtheMatrix]

@kirbstomp1 - Sorry, last sentence stays. I don't recall mentioning parties. Maybe you'd like to point out the specific sentence I used where I mentioned a political party.

[kirbstomp1]

This is proof that there aren't only far right nutjobs! We got far left ones to, so crazy they are willing to harm themselves for something. Wow, ignorance.

[EquinsuOcha]

Their are a lot more left wing nut jobs than right wing nut jobs and it isn't even close..........

[kirbstomp1]

@EquinsuOcha you're obviously a republican, and you're biased opinion doesn't make it fact. Being an independent myself and looking from the outside in on both parties, I see way more nuts on the right such as Limbaugh, Palin, Joe Walsh, Bill O'Reilly, Bachmann, santorum, Coulter, oh and our dear friend Todd Akin to name a few. Left wing nutjobs? I mean there are activists that stand up for causes, if you consider them nutjobs, well im sorry for you. But there aren't any commies which I consider left wing nutjobs. Like Kim Jung un. He is a left nutjob.

[Fitz]

@kirbstomp1 by the look of your post, you are not very independent and biased toward the left. Just my opinion.

[kirbstomp1]

@Fitz - I consider a nutjob slang for a crazy person ( which is the definition). I find it crazy to tell someone what you can or cannot do with your own body, such as abortion, sex, drugs and others. Government should stay out of social issues, and for you to control them is crazy. I was actually a republican until I thought to myself why in the hell am I trying to tell people how to live their lives. Then I became a libertarian. So I side with liberals on many social issues in the fact that government needs to stay out of social issues, but I do not support us paying for their abortions. When it comes to fiscal things I lean republican and libertarian. Anyone trying to press control over my life and push their religion into my government is a nutjob. Did I clear that for you.

[Fitz]

@kirbstomp1 I am sure of you think real hard you can come up with as many left nuts though. Sandy Fluke?

[twinertia]

It certainly won't help.

[twinertia]

Might be a weird combo of self-harm and Munchausen syndrome by proxy. Who knows?

[falco_alba]

It doesn't help anything. It downplays the fact that 15% of all reported hate crimes are targeting the LGBT community, the highest single group. It is like a woman crying rape after a consenting act. What a ridiculous stunt. She should be ashamed of herself.

[NO-BAMA]

Barry will be giving her a call and say how her parents should be proud of her.
He might even give her a job at the white house.

[Republican5001]

Probably a Nobel Peace Prize Candidate too...

[NO-BAMA]

@Republican5001 Hahaha, yes. Didn't even think of that.
On top of the Nobel prize, job in Washington shell be propped up just like the "contraceptive queen" Fluke then be given full welfare benefits for all her "mental anguish".

[Republican5001]

@NO-BAMA agreed

[joyshusband]

She targeted herself, so doesn't that mean she hates herself?

[Realthinker]

I cannot remember the last time an alleged hate crime turned out to be real. Yet every day in this forum and on MSNBC, conservatives and Christains are called all sorts of vile names and accused of all sorts of hate.
If conservatives are really so horrid, why do these crimes have to be faked?
Just sayin.

[Republican5001]

hahahaha...now that's funny.

[bsking]

it won't have any affect on the gay community per se.
this woman is a nut job. she may require some shock therapy to stop cutting herself

[UnCommonBoston]

bsking Wow, that is seriously offensive.

[RobertJHarsh]

Darwin Award 2012 winner?

[Jeff_Woehrle]

"Hate crime." Pfft. Conservatives call it 'crime.'

[Republican5001]

"hate crime" came from the journalist covering crime against the Jews, Asians and African Americans back in the 80's. It was coined to appease certain echlons who were crying wolf. It covers pretty much anyone who is not white and even covers gays now adays.

[Jeff_Woehrle]

@Republican5001 Pathetic how the severity of the crime is judged by the race of the victim.

[Republican5001]

@Jeff_Woehrle agreed. I always viewed illegal as illegal and crime as crime. regardless who was involved. Guess this makes for better sensationalized reporting for Chrissy matthews and rachel madcow on the lefty's msnbc.

[Jet_Silverman]

@Republican5001 you don't know what you are talking about. Around 17% of race based hate crimes are against white people.

[Jet_Silverman]

@Jeff_Woehrle a hate crime is judged by the motivation, not the race of the victim. I'm guessing motivation has been taken into account when judging crimes as long as crimes have been judged.

[kramresim1]

Any hoax is a problem. It wastes police resourses and hurts the cause the hoaxer was trying to promote. Having said that, we do need to make sure we are doing all we can to protect EVERYONE from hate crimes.

[DerivePI]

A hate crime versus a 'love' crime? Maybe we should have a really hate crime. Maybe for a really hate crime we could really prosecute and they could really serve jail time. Maybe for this woman's imaginary hate crime she could imagine acting like a responsible human being and imagine coming to terms with her problems and seek help. I'd like to imagine a country where crime is punished equally and not based on some self identified status.

[TheJimmy]

Just another lesbian with Borderline Personality Disorder.

[PoliticalSpice]

Actually BPD would fit very well. Good guess.

[mudpike]

None, but to the whiny leftists this is 'normal operating procedure' . Political correctness means 'show me the money' . This crap in the last 20 years or so has led to everyone seeking to be a victim of something or someone. Get over it - You ain't nobody special, cupcake.

[Tralee]

It will just further the idea that certain people will do whatever it takes, lie cheat or steal, to get their way. It's a non-issue anyhow. There are anti-discrimination laws on the books already, what more does this woman want? She's protected, no one can fire her, not rent her a house or apartment or anything. She's just like the rest of us, what does she want, to be sort of a super-minority with special attention?

[DARSB]

States where individuals can be fired for being gay:

Alabama
Alaska
Arizona
Arkansas
Florida
Georgia
Idaho
Indiana
Kansas
Kentucky
Louisiana
Michigan
Mississippi
Missouri
Montana
Nebraska
North Carolina
North Dakota
Oklahoma
Ohio
Pennsylvania
South Carolina
South Dakota
Tennessee
Texas
Utah
Virginia
West Virginia
Wyoming

States where individuals can be fired for being transgender:
Alabama
Alaska
Arizona
Arkansas
Delaware
Florida
Georgia
Idaho
Indiana
Kansas
Kentucky
Louisiana
Maryland
Michigan
Mississippi
Missouri
Montana
Nebraska
New Hampshire
New York
North Carolina
North Dakota
Oklahoma
Ohio
Pennsylvania
South Carolina
South Dakota
Tennessee
Texas
Utah
Virginia
West Virginia
Wisconsin
Wyoming

http://goo.gl/zwo34

[Stratton]

@DARSB - The only way you're going to get fired for being gay in any state is if you make such a scene out of being gay that it disrupts the workplace. That's why those states haven't had to add sexual orientation to their anti-discrimination laws - because there's less evidence of anti-gay discrimination in the workplace than there is of the voter fraud your folks keep claiming doesn't exist.

I'm still waiting for the Left to demand that the NFL hire male cheerleaders, that courts stop routinely discriminating against men in child custody cases, that nightclubs stop holding "Ladies Drink/Get In Free" nights" that discriminate against men. The most routinely discriminated class in this country is males, whether they be gay or otherwise.

[Tralee]

@DARSB As I figured, a misleading website. I live in DE, and I KNOW one may NOT be fired for being gay or transgender here. They lied to you and you were willing to believe it because it suited your agenda.

[CaryNickel]

I've always believed that most so-called "hate crimes" are B.S. This only confirms my earlier beliefs. There just isn't enough real persecution these days, so nutcases like this woman make it up.

[jamayla]

What a slime.