Speers man charged with ethnic intimidation following viral video
A man from Speers Borough who recorded himself saying racial slurs to a Black woman in a Rostraver Township Walmart now faces criminal charges.
State police announced in a press release Wednesday that 36-year-old Michael Todora faces misdemeanor charges of ethnic intimidation and harassment, and a summary citation of disorderly conduct.
Last month, a video of Todora went viral on social media in which he approached Augusta Goll in Walmart and used racist language towards her. Goll is an immigrant and the owner of Queen’s Market in Charleroi. The borough has a large immigrant population.
The criminal complaint police filed against Todora describes Goll as “well known in the local community as the Queen of Charleroi.”
According to the complaint, the confrontation occurred the evening of Dec. 21. Goll reported the incident to Rostraver Township police on Jan. 9. Goll told state police she did not know who Todora was and decided to file a police report after speaking with her lawyer.
Charging documents state that Todora originally posted the video to his X account, and Goll reposted it to her Facebook page on Jan. 13.
The following day an FBI agent contacted state police in Belle Vernon to request assistance.
“(Todora) was reported for posting racist and antisemitic material online and his behavior has recently escalated,” police wrote in the complaint.
Goll has posted about the incident on her personal Facebook page, including that Todora apparently visited her business after the video went viral, presumably to apologize.
“I’m scared of him,” she wrote on Facebook.
In the video, Goll walks away from Todora, a former member of Speers Borough council, after he starts using racial slurs. He then approaches another Black shopper.
“Don’t talk to him,” Goll can be heard saying.
The video was discussed at a No Hate in Our State town hall that was held in Charleroi last week. Among the panelists was state police Cpl. Aaron Allen, who investigates hate crimes. Allen assured those in attendance that police take all forms of ethnic intimidation seriously.
“I couldn’t even imagine what she felt at that time. Not only at that time, but what she felt days after, because of how many eyes were on that video,” he said during the town hall.
This was the second No Hate in Our State town hall in Charleroi. The first was in 2024, held after then-presidential candidate Donald Trump mentioned the borough in a campaign speech. He contended members of the borough’s immigrant population brought “massive crime to the town.”
The charges were filed through the office of Magisterial District Judge Wayne Vlasic in Westmoreland County, and are being issued via summons. Todora is scheduled to appear before Vlasic for a preliminary hearing at 9:30 a.m. March 6.