Man Found Guilty of Threatening Gay Couple, 9:30 Club Staffer
42-year-old Franklin Siate threatened to beat a gay couple with a sign and to "rape and murder" a female bouncer at the club.
A jury convicted Franklin Siate on hate crime charges for threatening two gay men and a female bouncer at the 9:30 Club.
The 42-year-old was convicted on December 11 of two misdemeanor charges of attempted threats to do bodily harm, with each charge carrying a bias-related hate crime enhancement for assault.
Assault charges do not require a person to contact another person or injure them physically, but rather only threaten to harm them.
According to prosecutors, on August 3, Siate approached a line of patrons waiting to enter the 9:30 Club for a Taylor Swift-themed dance party and began yelling at them. When a woman who was working security for the club intervened, he threatened to “rape and murder” her.
Siate then turned his attention to two men who were walking by the club, holding hands and acting affectionately towards one another.
Siate reportedly followed the men down the block, telling them, “Gays cannot hold hands in my city!” He also declared, “You’re in my living room,” and hurled an anti-gay slur at them.
He then picked up a sign outside an establishment, lifted it over his head, and charged at the two men.
An officer with the Metropolitan Police Department arrived on scene and intervened, stopping Siate from attacking the men. The officer arrested Siate, who was later released on personal recognizance.
Siate was later arrested on new, unrelated charges on August 31, and has been in custody since September 9.
Judge Jennifer Di Toro, who oversaw the jury trial, is scheduled to sentence Siate on February 10, 2025.
Under the D.C. Code, a person convicted of threats to do bodily harm can be imprisoned for up to six months in jail and a fine of up to $1,000 for each incident. A person found guilty of a hate crime enhancement could face up to nine months in jail and a fine of up to $1,500 for each incident.
It remains unclear, if he serves prison time, whether Di Toro will sentence Siate to serve his sentences concurrently or consecutively.
Siate’s defense attorney, Lauckland Nicholas, was not immediately available for comment.
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