Jan. 6 rioter accused of destroying evidence sentenced to more than 4 years in prison
A California man accused of organizing a group of Jan. 6 rioters, participating in the riots and attempting to destroy evidence of his involvement was sentenced to more than four years in prison on Tuesday, the Justice Department announced.
Edward Badalian was convicted of conspiracy and obstruction of an official proceeding in April. He was sentenced to four years and three months in prison and was ordered to pay $2,000 in restitution.
Prosecutors allege that Badalian used a Telegram group chat named “PATRIOTS45MAGA Gang” to encourage violence against political enemies, and at one point said he wanted to arrest President Biden.
https://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/4224028-jan-6-rioter-accused-of-destroying-evidence-sentenced-to-more-than-4-years-in-prison/Open linkView original on lemmy.world462
Comments31
Slap on the wrist. What a joke of a sentence, especially considering he obstructed and destroyed evidence.
Wonder if it might bolster the next horde of ne'er-do-wells, considering how little such infractions cost.
That rhymed
That's it?
THAT'S FUCKING NOTHING.
FOUR MORE YEARS!
Remember this example of tactical brilliance the next time you hear some right wing asshole talking about a second civil war.
That's why these people don't really scare me, they're huge idiots.
They should. They came alarmingly close to overturning democracy. Imagine a round 2 where there’s more organization.
They didn't though. They came alarmingly close to overturning a performative ceremony that has no actual bearing on the election. Do you really think Trump would have become president if they had succeeded in stopping the count? It had already been counted, just not officially. That's how stupid these people are.
Saddam Hussein seized power by essentially doing this. If they'd gone in, captured Congress and executed anyone who disagreed that's pretty much game over. I'm convinced the only reason we're not in a full civil war today is that Trump was too lazy to lead the march over to the Capitol.
The votes were already counted. No number of congresspeople executed would change the results of the election. It would just put Trump in far, far, far more legal jeopardy than he's in now and he's in a lot.
Sure. If they lost the takeover attempt.
But there's no magical authority that makes the election results matter. Coups happen all the time, and if they came correct and won, what then?
How would that have installed Trump as president? Who would recognize his authority? Certainly not the military.
For those complaining about the short sentences many of these folks are getting, the silver lining is this is a felony on their records, forever. Decent jobs will be nearly unreachable, once they get out, and federal prison sentences has no (drastic) "released early for good behavior" crap like state ones. No "sentenced to ten years, out in 4" at the federal level.
The silver lining is our failed penal system? I don't much like that, to be honest.
Yeah. I'd rather they get proper sentences and have a chance to rehabilitate and get back to a normal and non criminal life after prison. But then again i am not American, so the whole "vengefullness over prevention and rehabilitation" seems rather stupid.
Maybe there'll be a reform now that more of the other side are getting screwed by it.
Next GOP president is going to expunge all of the convictions.
I mean, 4 years might be on the lighter side, but it's honestly more than I expected for these scumbags. I'll take it.
18 U.S.C § 2381, states that a person guilty of treason against the United States “shall suffer death, or shall be imprisoned not less than five years and fined under this title but not less than $10,000; and shall be incapable of holding any office under the United States.”
Only $10k? That needs to change.
When was that written? If it was long enough ago that was actually a lot of money.
IF I am reading the changes correctly, it was originally written in 1948 with a penalty of $10. 1994 revision changed that to $10,000
https://law.justia.com/codes/us/2021/title-18/part-i/chapter-115/sec-2381/
They’re so subtle.
How did they get his telegram messages?
he saved all his Telegram chats off to plain text files on his phone and PC for security
Lol gotcha
I like to see these traitors faces once I learn they’re going to prison, so here:
https://www.google.com/search?client=safari&sca_esv=568877829&hl=en-us&sxsrf=AM9HkKlxixt3rKfpbo976Z69mKNGuzgfPw:1695839972751&q=Edward+Badalian&tbm=isch&source=lnms&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwirxK-ZuMuBAxUZMTQIHQLABG8Q0pQJegQICxAB&biw=428&bih=746&dpr=3
hope the stupid, selfish pig spends the rest of his life in and out of jail