By Matthew Russell Lee, Patreon Podcast
BBC - Guardian UK - Honduras - ESPN
EDNY COURT, Feb 3 – In prosecution for fraud in the 2016 election, Douglass Mackey a/k/a “Ricky Vaughn" appeared on February 3 before U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York Magistrate Judge Roanne L. Mann. He had additional conditions of release imposed - psychological counseling - on top of a $50,000 bond. Complaint on Patreon here. Podcast here. Inner City Press live tweeted it, here:
Defendant says he wants a preliminary hearing - Feb 17, 10 am.
AUSA: It would take a few hours. But I'm not sure it will happen. [Probably meaning, indictment before then].
Judge: I understand there's an agreed upon bond... I've asked for additional conditions: psychological counseling for Mr. Mackey.
Defense: No objection. Judge: He is under treatment, and he will pay, as he has retained counsel, no? Defense: Yes, Your Honor, that's my understanding.
Judge: And he'll be monitored by Pre-Trial Services in his district of residence? Yes. And we have received the bond. Judge: No contact with potential witnesses or co-conspirators except in presence of counsel. Surrender passport. Has it been?
Mackey: It has been.
Judge: This is a $50,000 bond. You are not putting up cash, but if you violate it, the government could collect judgment against your savings or assets or over time, by garnishing wages... The bond is approved.
AUSA: Gov't moves for an exclusion of time...
Defense: We object. The government could have moved by indictment but chose not to. Judge: They are only seeking to exclude the seven days from Florida to hear.
AUSA: The operative word is "shall." It's not optional. Judge: I'm granting the govt's application
Judge: I asked to be informed if there is an indictment before the day of the hearing, I'm setting aside a lot of time, so do let me know. This proceeding is concluded. Everyone please stay safe.
From EDNY prosecutors: 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 Election, ranking it above outlets and individuals, among others, such as NBC News (#114), Stephen Colbert (#119) and Newt Gingrich (#141). As alleged in the complaint, between September 2016 and November 2016, in the lead up to the November 8, 2016, United States Presidential Election, Mackey conspired with others to use social media platforms, including Twitter, to disseminate fraudulent messages designed to encourage supporters of one of the presidential candidates (the “Candidate”) to “vote” via text message or social media and thus to fail to cast their ballots in a legally valid manner. For example, on November 1, 2016, Mackey tweeted an image that featured an African American woman standing in front of an “African Americans for [the Candidate]” sign. The image included the following text: “Avoid the Line. Vote from Home. Text ‘[Candidate’s first name]’ to 59925[.] Vote for [the Candidate] and be a part of history.” The fine print at the bottom of the 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 [Candidate] for President 2016.” The tweet included the typed hashtags “#Go [Candidate]” and another slogan frequently used by the Candidate. On or about and before Election Day 2016, at least 4,900 unique telephone numbers texted “[Candidate’s first name]” or some derivative to the 59925 text number, which was used in multiple deceptive campaign images tweeted by the defendant and his co-conspirators.
"If convicted of the charge, conspiracy against rights, Mackey faces up to 10 years in prison. The charges in the complaint are allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty."
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