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Judge declines to jail two men accused of impersonating federal agents

23 points by prostoalex 5y ago

GauntletWizard 5y ago
This is one of the few times where the evidence that is present is enough to take the government's word on "There is national security at risk here, but we can't tell you what because that would also risk national security".
markdown 5y ago
- deleted 5y ago
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- cheaprentalyeti 5y ago
  You're looking at the bribe amounts and thinking about how unfair it is with a heaping side of $PARTISANATTACKOFTHEDAY while to me it looks like it was _preparation for a future assassination attempt_ no matter what the amount-we-know-about is. (BTW, what we're seeing is probably the tip of the iceberg). I really don't approve of $CURRENTPRESIDENT but I'm much more disturbed, profoundly so, that we're possibly letting what looks like a serious assasination team out on bail.
  - toast0 5y ago
    It sounds like the only charges were impersonation. If there's something more nefarious going on that you'd like something done about, it really needs to be charged, otherwise there's major due process issues.
  - markdown 5y ago
    > looks like it was _preparation for a future assassination attempt_ Random guy on HN reckons he knows more than the Secret Service and FBI who've investigated the matter. Par for the course I guess.
NickRandom 5y ago
After reading the article: To me it sounds like the judge agreed to grant them bail pre-trial? Does that equal "declines to jail"? Because my initial impression based on the headline was "judge refuses to send guilty person to jail".
- perihelions 5y ago
  That's exactly what it is. - "But Harvey said that the case did not meet the standards for denying bail to a defendant, particularly since neither man is charged with a crime of violence." - "In a case like this, release should be the norm," [U.S. Magistrate Judge] Harvey said." and - "The judge also noted that if the duo is convicted of the crime, sentencing guidelines would recommend a jail term of just zero to six months, the lowest possible range for incarceration under those guidelines." https://www.cnbc.com/2022/04/12/judge-sets-bail-for-2-men-accused-of-impersonating-dhs-agents.html https://www.cnbc.com/2022/04/12/judge-sets-bail-for-2-men-ac... (I'd opine the CNBC article would make a better submission than the Reuters, because of this exposition which the other lacks).
system2 5y ago
I read the article but I am more puzzled now. Can they go deeper why these two accused of doing something like this? Motivation? How they contacted the agents etc. Was this an ongoing case everyone knows?
stevespang 5y ago

23 points by prostoalex 5y ago

This is one of the few times where the evidence that is present is enough to take the government's word on "There is national security at risk here, but we can't tell you what because that would also risk national security".

markdown 5y ago

deleted 5y ago
[deleted]
cheaprentalyeti 5y ago
You're looking at the bribe amounts and thinking about how unfair it is with a heaping side of $PARTISANATTACKOFTHEDAY while to me it looks like it was _preparation for a future assassination attempt_ no matter what the amount-we-know-about is. (BTW, what we're seeing is probably the tip of the iceberg). I really don't approve of $CURRENTPRESIDENT but I'm much more disturbed, profoundly so, that we're possibly letting what looks like a serious assasination team out on bail.
- toast0 5y ago
  It sounds like the only charges were impersonation. If there's something more nefarious going on that you'd like something done about, it really needs to be charged, otherwise there's major due process issues.
- markdown 5y ago
  > looks like it was _preparation for a future assassination attempt_ Random guy on HN reckons he knows more than the Secret Service and FBI who've investigated the matter. Par for the course I guess.

NickRandom 5y ago

After reading the article: To me it sounds like the judge agreed to grant them bail pre-trial? Does that equal "declines to jail"? Because my initial impression based on the headline was "judge refuses to send guilty person to jail".

perihelions 5y ago
That's exactly what it is. - "But Harvey said that the case did not meet the standards for denying bail to a defendant, particularly since neither man is charged with a crime of violence." - "In a case like this, release should be the norm," [U.S. Magistrate Judge] Harvey said." and - "The judge also noted that if the duo is convicted of the crime, sentencing guidelines would recommend a jail term of just zero to six months, the lowest possible range for incarceration under those guidelines." https://www.cnbc.com/2022/04/12/judge-sets-bail-for-2-men-accused-of-impersonating-dhs-agents.html https://www.cnbc.com/2022/04/12/judge-sets-bail-for-2-men-ac... (I'd opine the CNBC article would make a better submission than the Reuters, because of this exposition which the other lacks).

system2 5y ago

I read the article but I am more puzzled now. Can they go deeper why these two accused of doing something like this? Motivation? How they contacted the agents etc. Was this an ongoing case everyone knows?

stevespang 5y ago