PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Two white men in Maine facing federal hate crime charges for allegedly attacking a black man in Biddeford have been indicted in connection with another assault on a black man in Portland on the same day.

Prosecutors say 34-year-old Maurice Diggins and 28-year-old Dusty Leo assaulted the men in April 2018 and broke their jaws.

They say Diggins and Leo shouted racial slurs in both locations before the assaults.

Diggins pleaded not guilty Monday to the new charges. Leo is due in court next week.

Attorneys for both men have denied the initial charges and say they will fight them in court.

The men face up to 15 years in prison each, if convicted of the charges.

The case is also in the state court system.

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