Allentown Employee Charged by Law Enforcement For Staging Fake 'Hate Crime'

<![CDATA[An Allentown, Pa., city employee and local school board member was arrested by local law enforcement for staging a fake so-called "hate crime."Forty-two-year-old LaTarsha Brown is facing multiple charges after calling the Allentown Police Department (APD) two months ago to report an anti-black hate crime, WFMZ-TV reported on March 25. Brown, who works at Allentown City Hall and is a member of the Allentown School Board, claimed that a noose was allegedly placed at her desk, but it now appears that she planted the piece of rope herself.According to an APD affidavit that WFMZ obtained, Brown, who works for Allentown's community and economic development department, called police on January 10 and claimed that she had discovered a noose planted on her desk at work while checking her emails at around 7 a.m.The city official sent pictures of the suspicious object to coworkers, including her supervisors and the HR department, in a six-paragraph email, according to the affidavit.Police crime scene unit officers arriving at the scene collected the item as evidence and requested DNA samples from all employees working in the office at the time of the incident. APD Capt. Steve Milkovits said that Brown was initially cooperative with the police investigation but later requested that police discontinue it.The noose was submitted to Pennsylvania State Police for DNA testing on Jan. 14, according to Milkovits. A search warrant for Brown's DNA was approved and executed on Jan. 24. Three days later, it was submitted for comparison. All other employees working on that floor agreed to be interviewed by the police and had their DNA tested.“Every city employee agreed, except for Ms. Brown,” Allentown Police Chief Charles Roca said during a press conference, adding, “Initially cooperative, Ms. Brown later requested that the investigation be discontinued.”A search warrant was eventually obtained for Brown’s DNA samples on Jan. 24, which were then turned over to the Pennsylvania State Police Bethlehem Crime Lab for analysis. The crime lab reported three days later that the samples found on the noose matched her DNA but did not match her colleagues.Brown has been charged with tampering with or fabricating physical evidence, which is a second-degree misdemeanor, and making false reports to law enforcement, a third-degree misdemeanor. A third-degree misdemeanor can carry a maximum penalty of up to one year in jail and a fine of up to $2,500 in Pennsylvania."At this point, we're not going to discuss that," said Roca, when asked about Brown's motive.Despite the charges against her, Brown remains employed at City Hall, said Roca, as local officials refuse to comment on her future with the city."Today, we're even more surprised to learn that it was likely fabricated by the employee herself," Allentown's Democrat mayor Matt Tuerk, told CBS Philadelphia."I can't even begin to comment on what would drive somebody to do something like this," he added.However, the mayor still believes that the hoax brought a conversation regarding inclusion to the forefront at City Hall."That has helped lead conversations in City Hall about what it means to be inclusive. About what it means to respect each other's employment, and that will continue," Tuerk said. The hoax led to protests and demands by activists for change at Allentown City Hall back in January.Meanwhile, The Daily Mail reported that Brown is scheduled for a preliminary court hearing on April 22 before Magisterial District Judge Karen Devine.The disgraced actor Jussie Smollett was convicted last year for creating a similar hoax and lying to police in Chicago in 2019. Smollett's conviction was eventually overturned by the Illinois Supreme Court in November 2024, after judges ruled that due to an earlier deal reached with prosecutors, he should not have been charged a second time.]]>