What exactely is a hate crime,and what are the punishments?

the not too good looking: What exactely is a hate crime,and what are the punishments?
I understand the concept of it,but what are the implications.Ex.If I murder someone for their wallet do I not recieve as many charges or as much prison time if I murdered them for being black.Both would be murder just different motives.Or does a hate crime only constitute things like racial slurs and offensive images?

Answers and Views:

Answer by Ken
A hate crime seems to be any crime committed by a white person, involving a non white person or a gay person.

Answer by Russ
You are right – the only difference is motive. A racially motivated murder (or other crime) will include more charges and stricter punishment.

Answer by laughter_every_day
A hate crime must first be a crime. Congress and several states have provided for enhanced punishments if the prosecutor proves that the crime was motivated by certain specific factors. Uttering racial slurs, standing alone, is not a crime in the u.s. (due to the first amendment). However, uttering racial slurs while committing certain specified crimes may be evidence of the motivation for those crimes.