Nebraska Lesbian Guilty of Hate-Crime Hoax - Update

(Lincoln, Nebraska)

On Monday, Dec. 10, a woman in Nebraska was found guilty of making a false report of a hate crime. The woman had alleged that three men carved anti-gay slurs into her arms and stomach.

A former University of Nebraska basketball star, Charlie Rogers entered a no contest plea. This choice of pleas allows her plead guilty without admitting to having done anything wrong.

According to Rogers’ attorney, Brett McArthur his client entered the plea not because she was guilty but because she didn’t want to face the court fight or the negative publicity any longer.

“She has a very sensitive personality, and this has been a very frightening experience on many levels. She’s not a particularly outspoken person in the gay community.”

Sentencing is scheduled for February 2013 when very sensitive Rogers faces a possible year in jail and a $1,000 fine.

* * * * *Nebraska Lesbian Accused of Hate-Crime Hoax
[Previous 8/22/12 post]
(Lincoln, Nebraska) A 33-year-old local lesbian and former University of Nebraska women’s basketball star, Charlie K. Rogers, has been accused of falsely reporting that three masked men broke into her house, assaulted her, and painted hateful words on the walls of her home.

Rogers has pleaded not guilty to a charge of false reporting.

Lincoln Police Chief Jim Peschong pointed to a Facebook post by the woman, Charlie Rogers — written four days before the July 22 incident — as a perceived motive for faking an attack.

“So maybe I am too idealistic, but I believe way deep inside me that we can make things better for everyone. I will be a catalyst. I will do what it takes. I will. Watch me,” the post stated, according to police.

Rogers, 33, reported the attack amid a charged debate in Lincoln over the city’s proposed “fairness ordinance,” which would ban discrimination against gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people.

Police investigators contend that evidence doesn't support the claim of an attack.