Two Schuylkill County teenagers acquitted of the most serious charges in the beating death of an illegal Mexican immigrant last summer are due in court today to sentenced for simple assault.

Brandon Piekarsky, 17, and Derrick Donchak, 19, of Shenandoah, are scheduled to be sentenced in the Schuylkill County Courthouse in Pottsville at 1:30 p.m.

Their trial before an all-white jury in the same courthouse ended May 1 with an acquittal on homicide-related charges in the death of 25-year-old Luis Ramirez last year in Shenandoah. Simple assault carries a maximum penalty of two years in county jail, but they may not get jail sentences because they have no prior criminal records.

Prosecutors said Ramirez was the victim of a gang of drunken white teens who disliked the influx of Hispanic immigrants in their town, while defense lawyers said Ramirez was the aggressor.



In the wake of the verdict, politicians, including Gov. Ed Rendell, and civil rights and Hispanic organizations have urged the U.S. Justice Department to investigate whether the two men should be charged federally. A witness testified during the trial in Pottsville that they had been called before a federal grand jury. The U.S. Justice Department has confirmed the investigation but won't release details.

Two other teens have pleaded guilty in the attack.

Brian Scully, 18, apologized for his role in the attack in Schuylkill County Juvenile Court last month. He was ordered to spend 90 days in a treatment facility before final consideration of his sentence.

Colin Walsh, 18, pleaded guilty to violating Ramirez's civil rights and faces up to nine years in federal prison. In exchange for the guilty please, he was not prosecuted in county court for third-degree murder and other charges.

-- Reporting by Tracy Jordan, The Morning Call

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