Geneva Man Not Guilty In Racist Letters Case

KANE COUNTY, IL — A Kane County judge found a Geneva man not guilty of misdemeanor disorderly conduct after he was accused of sending racist, harassing and homophobic letters to followers of the "What's Happening in Geneva" Facebook group, the Daily Herald reports. Citing the man's First Amendment rights, and also noting that the letters did not contain threats, Kane County Judge Salvator LoPiccolo said Anton L. Purkart, 61, of the 0 to 99 block of South Andover Lane in Geneva, did not break the law. The judge said the letters were "vulgar and offensive," according to the newspaper, but they were not criminal.

Some of the people who received the letters spoke during Purkart's bench trial, according to the article. Defense attorney Matthew Haiduk said his client looks forward to apologizing to those he sent the letters to.

"We knew going in that First Amendment cases were hard to win," Brenda Gonzalez, of Geneva, told the Daily Herald. "The upside is the community knows his racist, xenophobic and homophobic beliefs. In my opinion, he is a disgusting, vile human, but I respect the judge's decision."

More via the Daily Herald

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