A pro-Trump Twitter influencer was found guilty of election interference for memes shared around the 2016 presidential election.
Douglass Mackey, 33, better known by his online handle Ricky Vaughn, was found guilty of conspiracy against rights in a Brooklyn court for his creation and sharing of memes. Prosecutors argued the memes were intended to “deprive individuals of their constitutional right to vote,” a press release from the New York Eastern District U.S. Attorney’s Office said.
TWITTER TROLL’S ELECTION INTERFERENCE TRIAL DELAYED AFTER ALLEGED WITNESS INTIMIDATION
The primary focus was memes styled in the format of official Hilary Clinton presidential campaign ads. They instructed potential voters to vote by text, which is not possible.
Mackey now faces 10 years in prison.
“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,” U.S. Attorney Breon Peace said.
“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,” Peace added.
Despite the conviction, Mackey’s attorney, Andrew Frisch, expressed optimism that the case would be overturned.
“This case presents an unusual array of compelling appellate issues. I am optimistic that the conviction will be vacated,” he said in a statement to the Washington Examiner.
The memes telling voters to text to vote were apparently designed to look like Clinton campaign ads, and they used the same font and format as typical campaign ads.
“Avoid the Line. Vote from Home. Text ‘[Candidate’s first name]’ to 59925[.] Vote for [the Candidate] and be a part of history,” text accompanying one meme read. Fine print attached to the meme read, “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.”
According to prosecutors, around 4,900 unique numbers texted their preferred candidate’s name to the listed 59925 number around Election Day in 2016. However, it is unknown if those who texted the number proceeded to not vote in person.
Court documents also mentioned other memes spread by Mackey and his co-conspirators. One viral campaign used photoshopped tweets from Clinton and fake campaign ads to suggest that the presidential candidate was looking to draft women and go to war with Russia or Syria. They used the hashtag #draftourdaughters.
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Mackey’s case has caused alarm among some conservatives who see his prosecution as an infringement against the First Amendment right to free speech. He also won the support of Twitter CEO Elon Musk, who tweeted that Mackey’s case was “concerning.”
Conservatives pointed to a satirical video comedian Kristina Wong posted on Election Day posing as a Trump supporter. In it, she urged Trump voters to cast their ballot the day after Election Day. She has faced no criminal charges over the video.
Douglass Mackey was just found guilty of a federal crime he was charged with by the DOJ for tweeting the meme on the left during the 2016 election.
The lady on the right has never been arrested for her tweet that also came during the 2016 election. pic.twitter.com/pkCz6h669U
— Greg Price (@greg_price11) March 31, 2023
