No Terrorism charges for Coast Guard Officer...this really pisses me off

[pecosbob]

'White Nationalist Coast Guard Officer Isn’t Facing Terrorism Charges'

COLLEGE PARK, Md. (AP) — A Coast Guard lieutenant accused of stockpiling guns and compiling a hit list of prominent Democrats and network TV journalists is seeking his release from federal custody since prosecutors haven’t charged him with any terrorism-related offenses.

Christopher Hasson, 49, has remained in custody since his Feb. 15 arrest and subsequent indictment in Maryland on firearms and drug charges. Hasson’s attorney, Liz Oyer, wrote in a court filing Monday that prosecutors recently disclosed that they don’t expect to seek any additional charges.

During a Feb. 21 detention hearing, U.S. Magistrate Judge Charles Day agreed to keep Hasson held in custody but said he was willing to revisit his decision if prosecutors didn’t bring more serious charges within two weeks. Oyer, an assistant federal public defender, is asking Judge Day to schedule another detention hearing for Hasson “at the earliest agreeable date for all parties.”

Oyer said her client’s alleged domestic terrorism activities were “the heart of the government’s case for detention.” A prosecutor wrote in the February court filing that the drug and firearms charges were the “proverbial tip of the iceberg.”

“No other crimes have been charged,” Oyer wrote. “Moreover, during a recent status call, government counsel advised the Court and defense counsel that it does not expect to file a superseding indictment in this matter.”

Hasson pleaded not guilty last month to charges of illegal possession of firearm silencers, possession of firearms by a drug addict and unlawful user, and possession of a controlled substance. He faces a maximum of 31 years in prison if convicted of all four counts in his indictment.

Gotta love this country...



read more at https://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/white-nationalist-coast-guard-office-no-terrorism-charges

[mr_lebowski]

1. So, what, on his own recognizance I suppose, even though he's facing 31 years in prison?

How the f*** can the government not come up with any terrorism-related charges in this asshole's case?

You can bet your sweet ass they'd find plenty such charges ... if the dude was muslim.

[50 Shades Of Blue]

2. Unfuckingbelievable.

[RockRaven]

3. There are two urgently needed criminal justice reforms needed in the US which would be MORE

punitive and aggressive (as opposed to the MANY ways in which the criminal justice systems needs to ease up), and those are a) more aggressively investigating and prosecuting "white collar" crime, and b) generating a workable (i.e. useful for prosecutors but not overly ripe for over-reach) legal definition/statute for domestic terrorism. Though to be honest, (a) will never happen under GOP/Trump and (b) should be left until after Trump is out of office or it would be greatly abused by Barr et al.

[jberryhill]

4. Perhaps you should read the terrorism-related crimes some time

I’m going to make a bet here that you cannot identify the crimes defined in 18 U.S.C. which relate to terrorism.

This type of post has become something of a common DU trope - “Why wasn’t he charged with terrorism?” and usually spurred by an article written by and for people who are completely unaware of the requirements of the actual statutes on the subject.


Here are the US laws relating to "terrorism":

Go ahead and identify the one YOU think applies here, and we can discuss it. Read the definition for the one you pick.

https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/part-I/chapter-113B

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§ 2331. Definitions
§ 2332. Criminal penalties
§ 2332a. Use of weapons of mass destruction
§ 2332b. Acts of terrorism transcending national boundaries

§ 2332d. Financial transactions
§ 2332e. Requests for military assistance to enforce prohibition in certain emergencies
§ 2332f. Bombings of places of public use, government facilities, public transportation systems and infrastructure facilities
§ 2332g. Missile systems designed to destroy aircraft
§ 2332h. Radiological dispersal devices
§ 2332i. Acts of nuclear terrorism
§ 2333. Civil remedies
§ 2334. Jurisdiction and venue
§ 2335. Limitation of actions
§ 2336. Other limitations
§ 2337. Suits against Government officials
§ 2338. Exclusive Federal jurisdiction
§ 2339. Harboring or concealing terrorists
§ 2339A. Providing material support to terrorists
§ 2339B. Providing material support or resources to designated foreign terrorist organizations
§ 2339C. Prohibitions against the financing of terrorism
§ 2339D. Receiving military-type training from a foreign terrorist organization


Of the various substantive crimes defined as constituting some form of "terrorism", it's clear that none of them apply to his conduct.

That's why they went with the charges they did. The “gotta love this country” part is a nice touch. I’m going to bet your level of interest in this country does not rise to spending a few minutes becoming familiar with some of its laws.

[pecosbob]

5. If targeting government officials for execution to make a political statement is not terrorism

then the law is faulty IMO.

* and thanks for the ration of condescension.

[jberryhill]

6. You're welcome

Threatening public officials is a crime.

There seems to be a lot of concern over what names are given to crimes. Sort of like another common trope here on DU among people who do not realize that many states do not have a crime called "rape", but certainly do have sexual assault crimes which fit various colloquial definitions of "rape". These are people to whom words matter more than substance.