The race point isn't non-sense. The targets of aggressive prosecution are by and large involved in the drug trade or with gangs, and as such are very often black or hispanic. Aggressive prosecution pretty much evolved to target those people. One of the reasons you can get so many years out of what seem like relatively minor convictions is because prosecutors often have to deal reticent minority communities. Everyone knows that the defendant is involved with certain crimes, but nobody is willing to testify to the effect of "yeah, he's the major local drug source here," and the prosecutors end up having to go after the defendant on secondary crimes.

Swartz's case is unusual because of his background (upper middle class, well-connected with the community) but also because of his race.