FARMINGTON, N.M. -- The image is disturbing: Three McDonald's employees allegedly shaped a coat hanger into a swastika, placed it on a heated stove and branded the symbol on the arm of a mentally disabled Navajo man in northwestern New Mexico.
Authorities say the men then shaved a swastika on the back of the 22-year-old victim's head and used markers to scrawl messages and images on his body, including "KKK" and "White Power."
The three men have become the first in the nation to be prosecuted by the federal government under a 2009 law targeting hate crimes involving disabilities or sexual orientation.
The case also marked the latest troubling race-related attack in Farmington, prompting a renewed focus among local leaders on improving relations between Navajos and whites.
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