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A far-right social media influencer who tweeted about limiting "Black turnout" is facing prison time for his role in a voter suppression scheme during the 2016 presidential election.
A federal jury in Brooklyn convicted 33-year-old Douglass Mackey, of West Palm Beach, Friday (March 31) for conspiring to deprive individuals of their right to vote, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Eastern District of New York.
Mackey, a Trump supporter who went by "Ricky Vaughn" online, allegedly utilized memes and hashtags to drive supporters of then-Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton to vote via text message or social media, prosecutors told jurors. Around the same time, the Twitter troll sent tweets suggesting the importance of limiting "black turnout," officials wrote.
The attorney's office said Mackey and his co-conspirators posted images mimicking the Clinton campaign's ads directing them to cast their votes, knowing they wouldn't be legitimately counted in the election. At least 4,900 unique telephone numbers texted "Hillary" or something similar to a number by Election Day 2016, court documents read.
One of Mackey's tweets featured a picture of a Black woman standing in front of an "African Americans for President Hillary" sign. The post encouraged people to "vote from home" or "avoid the line," according to officials.
U.S. Attorney Breon Peace said Mackey tried using his First Amendment rights to free speech to shield himself from criminal liability. The jury found him guilty following a one-week trial.
“Today’s verdict proves that the defendant’s fraudulent actions crossed a line into criminality,” Peace said in a press release.
Andrew Frisch, Mackey's lawyer, told The Orlando Sentinel they plan on appealing the conviction in the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan.
“We are optimistic about our chances on appeal," the attorney wrote in an email.
Mackey was arrested in January 2021 and faces up to 10 years in prison. He's due back in court on August 16, 2023, for sentencing.
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