Federal authorities yesterday accused Children's Hospital of Philadelphia electrician William Gould of placing a hangman's noose in the work area of a black colleague.
Gould, 62, left the noose where his colleague would find it on Aug. 11, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney's office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
Two weeks prior, the colleague had been accepted into a management training program focused on hiring and promoting minority employees
Gould was charged yesterday with interfering with employment by threat of violence, a federal misdemeanor.
Co-workers and hospital executives allege that Gould had complained about the program repeatedly, saying he found it unfair.
When the targeted colleague discovered the noose, he viewed it as a representation of the lynching of black Americans. As a result, the colleague felt intimidated and feared for his safety and the safety of his family, the press release said.
"It is unacceptable for anyone to act on prejudice and engage in ethnic intimidation in the workplace," acting U.S. Attorney Laurie Magid said in a statement. "Such conduct disrupts a person's life, interferes with their federally protected rights and will be fully prosecuted."
If he is convicted, Gould would face up to one year in prison and a $100,000 fine.
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