Man charged with hate crimes for targeting gay men pleads guilty to kidnapping, robbery
DALLAS -- A 24-year-old man pleaded guilty Thursday to federal kidnapping and conspiracy charges in a robbery scheme that used Grindr to lure gay men to an empty Dallas apartment where they were held at gunpoint, beaten and robbed.
Michael Jontedeion Atkinson faces up to life in prison for the kidnapping charge and five years in prison for the conspiracy charge. He had been charged with one count of conspiracy, four counts of hate crimes, six counts of kidnapping, one count of carjacking and one count of brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence.
Seven victims told investigators they'd used the dating app Grindr and met men who invited them to an empty apartment at a complex on Chariot Road in Buckner Terrace in December 2017, according to a federal complaint.
Dallas police began investigating when an eighth man was carjacked at a Mesquite Home Depot and forced to drive to the Dallas apartment. He escaped and called 911, then led investigators to the empty unit.
Read more: https://www.dallasnews.com/news/courts/2019/03/28/man-charged-hate-crimes-targeting-gay-men-pleads-guilty-kidnapping-robbery
