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Charges Filed In Louisiana Church Burning Case

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Church

The U.S. Justice Department says hate crime charges have been filed against a Louisiana man in connection with three fires that destroyed African American churches earlier this year. A news release from the department says 21-year-old Holden Matthews faces three counts of "intentional damage to religious property," which are hate crime charges. Matthews has pleaded not guilty to related state charges. His attorney declined comment on the federal charges.