WASHINGTON – Benjamin Haskell was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Michael A. Ponsor in Springfield, Mass., to nine years in prison and three years of supervised release for his role in the 2008 burning of the Macedonia Church of God in Christ, a predominately African-American Church, on the morning after President Barack Obama was elected as the first African-American President of the United States. In addition, Haskell will pay more than $1.7 million in restitution including $123,570.25 to the Macedonia Church. On June 16, 2010, Haskell, 24, of Springfield, pleaded guilty to conspiring to injure, oppress, threaten and intimidate the mostly African-American parishioners of the Macedonia Church in the free exercise of the right to hold and use their new church building, which was under construction, and to damaging the parishioners’ new church building through arson and obstructing their free exercise of religion because of their race, color and ethnic characteristics.