Felony e-mail

[seamusTX]

A Lamar University student has been charged with a federal felony for making a terrorist threat to disrupt graduation ceremonies.

http://www.star-telegram.com/crime_cour ... 03250.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

- Jim

[HighVelocity]

If he did what he's accused of, then I say give him the max sentence.

[Purplehood]

If.

[seamusTX]

Federal prosecutors have about a 90% conviction rate when they bring felony charges. They are the NBA stars of the prosecutorial world.

- Jim

[WarHawk-AVG]

Without the actual unedited wording of the email...noone knows what kind of threat he made

Thought police are hard on the case...NEVER threaten or even joke of threats...now it seems anything you say or write, or think of saying WILL be used AGAINST you

[Captain Matt]

Without the actual unedited wording of the email...noone knows what kind of threat he made

Convenient.

Thought police are hard on the case...NEVER threaten or even joke of threats...now it seems anything you say or write, or think of saying WILL be used AGAINST you

They don't like the 1st amendment any more than they like the 2nd.

[DoubleJ]

I guess the other side of this is if someone did get a threatening email, and they blew it off, and the guy shows up and lays waste to the place, and then someone found out about the email, it'd turn into one of those "You knew he was gonna do something, and you didn't do anything about it?????"

easy to second guess anything, i guess....

[Captain Matt]

If someone online threatens to beat me up can I get them arrested for making a terrorist threat?

[seamusTX]

An individual threat is iffy. It would depend upon the person's history and motives.

If he just types "I'm going to kill you" as part of a semi-joking exchange, most likely not.

If he sent it to an ex-wife or girlfriend whom he previously assaulted or threatened and who already has a protective order against him, almost certainly.

Most of these cases were someone is arrested for e-mail or other online threats involve credible terroristic threats, like bombing or mass shooting.

The first amendment was never meant to protect threats (along with disclosing military secrets, slander, libel, perjury, fraud, and plagiarism).

- Jim

[KaiserB]

Federal prosecutors have about a 90% conviction rate when they bring felony charges. They are the NBA stars of the prosecutorial world.

- Jim

How true... but with 50K worth of atty work, he could probably get it plead down to a Misdemeanor. IF it can be kept out from under the guise of Homeland Security.

[seamusTX]

Maybe if he has mental issues and goes into treatment, but I wouldn't bet on it.

When the feds go after this kind of thing, it seems to be more about setting an example than punishing the defendant.

- Jim

[tarkus]

Have they released a copy of the email yet or is this all still vague rumors and hearsay?

[seamusTX]

The story in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram is based on probable cause affidavits filed by the Jefferson County District Attorney and federal prosecutors, and approved by a judge who issued an arrest warrant.

That is not rumor and hearsay.

(You might want to read up on the logical error of false dichotomy.)

I can't find the full text of the e-mails. Maybe they have not yet been put into the public record. There was more than one. Here are some excerpts, printed in a reputable newspaper:

The first e-mail, sent Dec. 10, expressed frustration over the handling of his grievance and warned that a group of students he claimed to represent would take violent action against the university and some of its staff members if they were not permitted to graduate this semester.

"We just want to inform you that if your names are not going to be on the graduation list, Lamar University will never be the same," the first e-mail states. "Am sure you have heard the Virginia case among others. If you want it to happen to at Lamar (sic) don't do anything to rectify anormalies (sic.)"

A second e-mail, sent Dec. 11, further stated that "we are serious and ready to die for our rights."

http://www.beaumontenterprise.com/news/ ... -2008.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

- Jim

[seamusTX]

This guy pled to a federal felony in July and was sentenced to 1 1/2 years in prison and 3 years supervision.

http://www.beaumontenterprise.com/news/ ... Comments=y" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

(I just ran across this old news while browsing something else.)

- Jim