Posted on 03/31/2023 2:03:36 PM PDT by Yo-Yo
A federal jury on Friday convicted pro-Trump troll Douglass Mackey of plotting to trick voters out of casting a ballot during the 2016 presidential election.
The case, which sought to address if any of the toxic stew of Internet disinformation during the 2016 election rose to the level of a crime, has been closely watched by both anti-extremist groups and right-wing politicians and pundits.
Mackey, 33, of West Palm Beach, Fla., who gained fame on the Internet as the Twitter user “Ricky Vaughn,” posted two images made to look like fake Hillary Clinton ads telling people they could vote by text instead of in-person.
Federal prosecutors called the images part of a plot to disenfranchise Black and women voters, but Mackey insisted that he was simply “s--tposting” and sharing ridiculous memes.
(Excerpt) Read more at nydailynews.com ...
All the while Hitlery herself is walking scot free!
This has been a joke for years, there was plenty of libtards making the SAME exact joke targeting Trump supporters. Makes me sick.
You know this is a sure sign we live in a police state when no humor is allowed. A humorless society is an enslaved society.
If they want to get you, they will get you.
Hello, Stalin; show me the man, I’ll show you the crime.
Defendant Attempted to Suppress Vote Through Social Media Disinformation Campaign Douglass Mackey, also known as “Ricky Vaughn,” was convicted today by a federal jury in Brooklyn of the charge of Conspiracy Against Rights stemming from his scheme to deprive individuals of their constitutional right to vote. The verdict followed a one-week trial before United States District Judge Ann M. Donnelly. When sentenced, Mackey faces a maximum of 10 years in prison.
Breon Peace, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, and Michael J. Driscoll, Assistant Director-in-Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI), announced the verdict.
“Mackey has been found guilty by a jury of his peers of attempting to deprive individuals from exercising their sacred right to vote for the candidate of their choice in the 2016 Presidential Election,” stated United States Attorney Peace. “Today’s verdict proves that the defendant’s fraudulent actions crossed a line into criminality and flatly rejects his cynical attempt to use the constitutional right of free speech as a shield for his scheme to subvert the ballot box and suppress the vote.”
In 2016, Mackey established an audience on Twitter with approximately 58,000 followers. A February 2016 analysis by the MIT Media Lab ranked Mackey as the 107th most important influencer of the then-upcoming Presidential Election.
As proven at trial, between September 2016 and November 2016, Mackey conspired with other influential Twitter users and with members of private online groups to use social media platforms, including Twitter, to disseminate fraudulent messages that encouraged supporters of presidential candidate Hillary Clinton to “vote” via text message or social media which, in reality, was legally invalid. For example, on November 1, 2016, in or around the same time that Mackey was sending tweets suggesting the importance of limiting “black turnout,” the defendant tweeted an image depicting an African American woman standing in front of an “African Americans for Hillary” sign. The ad stated: “Avoid the Line. Vote from Home,” “Text ‘Hillary’ to 59925,” and “Vote for Hillary and be a part of history.” The fine print at the bottom of the deceptive image stated: “Must be 18 or older to vote. One vote per person. Must be a legal citizen of the United States. Voting by text not available in Guam, Puerto Rico, Alaska or Hawaii. Paid for by Hillary For President 2016.” The tweet included the typed hashtag “#ImWithHer,” a slogan frequently used by Hillary Clinton. On or about and before Election Day 2016, at least 4,900 unique telephone numbers texted “Hillary” or some derivative to the 59925 text number, which had been used in multiple deceptive campaign images tweeted by Mackey and his co-conspirators.
Several hours after tweeting the first image, Mackey tweeted an image depicting a woman seated at a conference room typing a message on her cell phone. This deceptive image was written in Spanish and mimicked a font used by the Clinton campaign in authentic ads. The image also included a copy of the Clinton campaign’s logo and the “ImWithHer” hashtag.
The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s Public Integrity Section. Assistant United States Attorneys Erik D. Paulsen and F. Turner Buford of the Office’s Public Integrity Section, and Trial Attorney William J. Gullotta of the Department of Justice’s Public Integrity Section are in charge of the prosecution, with the assistance of Paralegal Specialist Shivani Parshad.
Will someone be arrested for saying “Vote Hillary and win the Lottery”?
“plot to disenfranchise Black and women voters”
Because black and women voters are apparently effing morons?
Think PDJT will get a walk with a NY jury?
Next will be a conviction for saying "Due to expected heavy turnout, Republicans will vote on Tuesday, Democrats vote on Wednesday."
They are going to give this guy 10 years for telling a joke. So help me God....I detest our Government more than any other Government on Earth.
How can NYC prosecute someone that lives in Florida.
Not a chance.
It doesn't matter how weak the charges are, Bragg will ensure the jury is filled with rabid anti-Trump partisans who already will have found him guilty before the opening remarks are even spoken.
So are Black women supposed to be that stupid? Not as smart as their White liberal masters?
Lock and load
Lock and load
Federal voting rights violations levied by a Brooklyn Federal Court.
It's an absolute sham and God, I pray to see the day when this stuff comes back to bite them in the ass.
I fear I will be disappointed.
Note to self:
Don’t tell democrats that they can vote late on the Wednesday following election day because the lines will be shorter.
Ever again!
With that verdict a whole bunch of writers of satire should be getting nervous. I mean a whole bunch!!
How can the DA elevate a misdemeanor to become a felony? I’ve never heard of that before.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.