Was Douglass Mackie Arrested?<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\nIn what purported to be the first criminal case in the nation concerning voter suppression through the transmission of false information on Twitter, Mackey was taken into custody on January 27th, 2021, in West Palm Beach, Florida.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nFederal prosecutors accused the then 31-year-old of working with accomplices to circulate an illegitimate voting medium on Twitter. His tweets falsely suggested that Hillary Clinton’s supporters could cast their votes by sending a text message to a phone number. This perhaps proved beneficial to Donald Trump. Anthem Gionet, a well-known far-right media figure known as “Baked Alaska,” who was detained after taking part in the riot in the U.S. Capitol on January 6th, was believed to be one of the co-conspirators.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n[image-1]<\/span><\/p>\nProsecutors claimed that as a result of Mackey’s disinformation campaign, at least 4,900 different phone numbers texted the number in a botched attempt to vote for Hillary Clinton. Besides, Mackey also posted other racist, anti-Semitic and anti-feminist assertions to his 58,000 followers using the then viable Twitter handle @Ricky Vaughn99. He did not just stick up to one account but operated many others for the same deed.<\/span><\/p>\nThe influencer’s account was placed higher than NBC and CBS News, as well as political comedians Bill Maher and Stephen Colbert, on a list of the top 150 election influencers by the MIT Media Lab. Before Mackie’s identity was exposed in 2018, he operated undercover with a frequent switch between his numerous social media accounts.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/p>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n Where Is Douglas Mackie Now?<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\nIt is prohibited for someone to plot to oppress or intimidate anyone from exercising a constitutional right, including the right to vote. Mackey probably is the first to face legal action on such charges; however, he was released from detention the same day he was arrested on a $50,000 bond. The maximum punishment for the offense is up to ten years in prison.<\/span><\/p>\nDouglas’s whereabouts after his release on the bond are unknown. However, his activities, which gave the unusual case life, will test the new use of federal civil rights statutes as a weapon to hold individuals accountable for disinformation campaigns meant to sway elections. The urgent need to address this issue has recently made it a top priority for social media companies and law enforcement authorities.<\/span><\/p>\n
<\/div>\n
In what purported to be the first criminal case in the nation concerning voter suppression through the transmission of false information on Twitter, Mackey was taken into custody on January 27th, 2021, in West Palm Beach, Florida.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Federal prosecutors accused the then 31-year-old of working with accomplices to circulate an illegitimate voting medium on Twitter. His tweets falsely suggested that Hillary Clinton’s supporters could cast their votes by sending a text message to a phone number. This perhaps proved beneficial to Donald Trump. Anthem Gionet, a well-known far-right media figure known as “Baked Alaska,” who was detained after taking part in the riot in the U.S. Capitol on January 6th, was believed to be one of the co-conspirators.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n [image-1]<\/span><\/p>\n Prosecutors claimed that as a result of Mackey’s disinformation campaign, at least 4,900 different phone numbers texted the number in a botched attempt to vote for Hillary Clinton. Besides, Mackey also posted other racist, anti-Semitic and anti-feminist assertions to his 58,000 followers using the then viable Twitter handle @Ricky Vaughn99. He did not just stick up to one account but operated many others for the same deed.<\/span><\/p>\n The influencer’s account was placed higher than NBC and CBS News, as well as political comedians Bill Maher and Stephen Colbert, on a list of the top 150 election influencers by the MIT Media Lab. Before Mackie’s identity was exposed in 2018, he operated undercover with a frequent switch between his numerous social media accounts.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n It is prohibited for someone to plot to oppress or intimidate anyone from exercising a constitutional right, including the right to vote. Mackey probably is the first to face legal action on such charges; however, he was released from detention the same day he was arrested on a $50,000 bond. The maximum punishment for the offense is up to ten years in prison.<\/span><\/p>\n Douglas’s whereabouts after his release on the bond are unknown. However, his activities, which gave the unusual case life, will test the new use of federal civil rights statutes as a weapon to hold individuals accountable for disinformation campaigns meant to sway elections. The urgent need to address this issue has recently made it a top priority for social media companies and law enforcement authorities.<\/span><\/p>\n Where Is Douglas Mackie Now?<\/h2>\n