Federal hate crime and kidnapping charges are possible in the case of a Navajo Nation man who was branded with a swastika, The Farmington Daily Times reports.

Three men face numerous charges in state court for the kidnapping and branding of Vincent Kee, 22. The April 30 incident took place in Farmington, off the reservation.

But the U.S. Attorney's Office in New Mexico sent a letter to one of the defendants and said a federal grand jury is looking into the case. The charges would apparently be based on race and/or disability -- Kee is Indian and mentally challenged.

State prosecutors are already pursuing hate crime charges against Jesse Sanford, 24, William Hatch, 28, and Paul Beebe, 26. In addition to branding a swastika on Kee and shaving a swastika into the back of his head, the men allegedly wrote "White Power" on his body

Get the Story:
Federal charges possible in branding case (The Farmington Daily Times 7/20)

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