When Allentown, Pennsylvania, city employee LaTarsha Brown claimed last month that she was a hate crime victim, it appeared to be another hoax, much like that staged by actor Jussie Smollett in Chicago a few years back.
Brown, who's also a member of the Allentown school board, said that someone had left a noose on her desk. But she was uncooperative with investigators, and DNA evidence indicated that the only person who'd handled the noose was Brown herself.
As it turns out, reports of hate crimes almost always turn out to be hoaxes, proving that the demand for hate far outweighs the supply. College campuses are especially fertile ground for such hoaxes, for students, staff, and professors alike, according to The College Fix.
Here are some of the most outrageous examples of the bunch.
Hate Hoaxes Can Pay Big Bucks
Roda Osman, a Somali Muslim University of Texas-Austin student, raked in more than $40,000 on the claim that she was hit in the face with a brick.
After she made that claim, a GoFundMe account called "Help Roda Recover" was set up for her.
Osman, a doctoral candidate in Black feminist theory, was charged with felony-level theft by deception when her version of events didn't match with reality, which was recorded on video.
"It appeared Defendant Osman and [the man] were in the middle of a verbal argument when Defendant Osman swung her right hand while holding an unknown object and hit [the man] in the face," the documents read. "[The man] then swung his right hand while holding what appeared to be a plastic water bottle and struck Defendant in the face."
Police concluded, "The video footage capturing the incident did not support Defendant Osman's recorded statement."
Justice at Last
Nearly two decades after a Black stripper nearly ruined the lives of three Duke University lacrosse players by claiming they had gang-raped her, Crystal Mangum, their accuser, admitted that it was all a lie.
"I testified falsely against them by saying that they raped me when they didn't, and that was wrong, and I betrayed the trust of a lot of other people who believed in me," she told podcaster Katerena DePasquale last year, 18 years after the incident. "[I] made up a story that wasn't true because I wanted validation from people and not from God."
Mangum had nothing to lose by making the confession. She's serving a 14- to 18-year prison sentence for second degree murder in the stabbing death of her boyfriend.
Islamophobia Is Hard to Find
Isha Hussein, a Black, Muslim University of Washington student, claimed her Jewish roommate had threatened her with a knife.
Investigations made by police and university officials found no probable cause that any such threat was made, and an unnamed person, presumed to be another roommate, said "she did not witness any threats or open hostility," according to a police report.
Hussein "stated that she is not willing to assist with prosecution at this time and she is only requesting that this incident be documented."
Later, Hussein claimed that two other roommates had assaulted her on two separate occasions — at least one alleged to have been in retaliation for accusing the Jewish student of assault.
As before, Hussein didn't wish to assist in an investigation, but only wished to "document" the incidents, and these claims also fell apart.
Keeping the Klan Out of Colorado
In November of last year, a federal grand jury indicted three people for engaging in a hate crime hoax. The U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Colorado accused Derrick Bernard Jr., 35; Ashely Blackcloud, 40; and Deanna West, 38, of defacing a campaign sign of a Black Colorado Springs mayoral candidate with a racial slur and burning a cross in front of it.
The three individuals were supporters of the Black candidate and allegedly did so in order to spread a false impression he was under attack for his race.
Bernard sent a message to the other defendants, explaining he was "mobilizing my squad in defense. Black ops style big brother." In other messages he said he wanted to prevent "the klan" from controlling the city.
Later, the three defendants then allegedly defaced the campaign sign, erected the cross, and set it on fire.
N-Word Shouted at Game?
During a basketball game with Illinois State University, a player with Norfolk State University, a historically Black university, claimed an attendee shouted racial slurs at him.
Illinois State University officials took the claim seriously. However, after interviewing 47 people who attended the game, and reviewing hours of game footage, the school announced that it could not "verify the use of a racial slur" by a basketball fan.
Racial Notes a Hoax
Notes containing racially charged messages were found strewn on the ground at Rhodes College in Memphis, Tennessee — specifically across the National Pan-Hellenic Council Plaza, a space dedicated to pay tribute to historically Black sororities and fraternities.
"They were vulgar," student Lauren Roberts told WREG 3 News. "'F N-word, Trump Rules,' that's what it said."
But if it's too good (or bad) to be true, it probably isn't. It turned out that the individual who initially reported the offense was the one who created it.
"Thanks to the tireless efforts of our Campus Safety officers and the Memphis Police Department, the investigation into the hate crime that occurred recently on our campus has ended with the identification of the perpetrator and the conclusion this incident was fabricated," Rhodes College told The College Fix in a statement.
"This individual has admitted responsibility," the media team told The Fix. "This matter has caused enormous pain to our community, and we are taking the appropriate steps to hold this individual accountable, including all legal avenues that may be available to us."
Palestinian Hate Crime Hoax
People who identify as Palestinians are getting on a bad reputation, especially after the Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attack when Israeli civilians were raped and tortured and 1,200 were murdered. Some whose lives were spared were kidnapped and held hostage; some were murdered while in captivity.
Someone wanted to reverse that conception and shot three Palestinian-American college students in Burlington, Vermont, sparking months of antisemitism and pro-Palestinian sentiments. Stories in legacy media focused on Islamophobia.
However, when the alleged culprit was captured, he was found to be antisemitic, anti-Israel, and a supporter of Hamas, a Palestinian terrorist organization.
White High School Principal Framed
A recording purporting to be that of a white Baltimore public school principal ranting against Black students and Jewish families turned out to be bogus.
A monthlong investigation revealed that the recording was actually produced by a Black athletic director, using an artificial intelligence-generated simulator of the principal's voice. Police believe the coach did so in reaction to the principal looking into the coach's "potential mishandling" of school funds.
Law enforcement took the athletic director into custody as he was boarding a flight to Houston. While officials wouldn't say if he was trying to flee the jurisdiction, they did note he was in possession of a firearm.
Michael Dorstewitz is a retired lawyer and is a frequent contributor to Newsmax. He's also a former U.S. Merchant Marine officer and a Second Amendment supporter. Read Michael Dorstewitz's Reports — More Here.