Braden Birdsong, 28, of Oklahoma City, pleaded guilty to a federal hate crime in U.S. District Court before Judge Bernard M. Jones on September 17, 2025.
Court documents and statements made during the hearing show that on August 25, 2023, Birdsong assaulted D.G., a Black man who was cleaning the parking lot of an Oklahoma City restaurant where he worked. During the attack, Birdsong used racial slurs and anti-Black language while punching D.G. in the head several times. D.G. sustained bodily injuries as a result of the incident. In court, Birdsong admitted that he targeted D.G. because of his race and color.
Birdsong could face up to ten years in prison and three years of supervised release for this violation. Judge Jones will determine the sentence after reviewing federal guidelines and other legal factors at a future hearing. Until then, Birdsong remains in federal custody.
The announcement was made by Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, U.S. Attorney Robert J. Troester for the Western District of Oklahoma, and Special Agent in Charge Douglas M. Goodwater of the FBI Oklahoma City Field Office.
The FBI’s Oklahoma City Field Office led the investigation into this case.
Prosecution is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Julia E. Barry for the Western District of Oklahoma along with Trial Attorneys Laura Gilson and Taylor Payne from the Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section.
