Douglass Mackey, known as Ricky Vaughn on Twitter, has been sentenced to seven months in prison for creating memes during the 2016 presidential election that allegedly interfered with the election process. The case, heard in the US Court of the Eastern District of New York, marks the first criminal case in the country involving voter suppression through the spread of disinformation on social media.
In March, Mackey was found guilty of conspiracy against rights, or election interference, for memes that he created and shared on Twitter urging Hillary Clinton supporters to cast their votes via text message. The memes were intended as jokes, but the Department of Justice (DOJ) argued that they amounted to election interference.
Douglass Mackey, the man “on trial for memes,” was sentenced to seven months in prison Wednesday for his efforts to trick Hillary Clinton voters into staying home on Election Day in 2016. @NikaSchoonover https://t.co/0u8YsjmGdG
— Courthouse News (@CourthouseNews) October 18, 2023
According to the DOJ, the memes contained a picture of an African American woman with an “African Americans for Hillary” sign and the text “Avoid the Line. Vote from Home” and “Text ‘Hillary’ to 59925.” The fine print at the bottom 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 DOJ alleged that at least 4,900 unique telephone numbers texted ‘Hillary’ or some derivative to the 59925 number after seeing the memes. They argued that Mackey was attempting to deceive individuals and suppress their right to vote.
Tomorrow at 1130am Doug Mackey will be sentenced in an NYC courtroom on a sham “conspiracy” conviction for sharing an anti-Hillary meme, all thanks to a bunch of lies and half-truths spewed by a morbidly obese fed informant who goes by the name Microchip.
Please pray for Doug.
— Amy Moreno (@VivaLaAmes11) October 17, 2023
During the trial, Mackey maintained that he was simply trying to create a viral meme and that other users had posted similar memes without consequence. However, the court found him guilty, stating that his actions crossed the line into criminality and rejecting his argument that he was exercising his right to free speech.
United States Attorney Peace stated, “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. 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.”
The case has sparked debate over the limits of free speech and the use of social media to influence elections. Some have criticized the DOJ for using Mackey as a scapegoat and question whether his memes actually had any impact on the election outcome.
Mackey’s sentencing has also prompted a fundraiser for his ongoing legal defense, with supporters claiming that he is being unfairly targeted for his political views.
As for Mackey’s response to the verdict, his supporter tweeted, “Doug Mackey will be sentenced in an NYC courtroom on a sham ‘conspiracy’ conviction for sharing an anti-Hillary meme, all thanks to a bunch of lies and half-truths spewed by a morbidly obese fed informant who goes by the name Microchip.” It remains to be seen if Mackey’s appeal will be successful in overturning or reducing his sentence.