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Jan. 6 Rioters Are Bringing In thousands In Donations. Now The US Is Coming After Their Haul
Daniel Goodwyn, a Texan who pled guilty to storming the U.S. Capitol, made an appearance on Tucker Carlson’s former Fox News show less than two months after his plea and promoted a website where people could donate money to help him and other rioters, who the website referred to as “political prisoners.”
An increasing government effort to prohibit rioters from personally profiting from an act that rattled the foundations of American democracy has resulted in the Justice Department demanding that Goodwyn return more than $25,000 he raised.
Prosecutors in the more than one thousand criminal cases dating back to January 6, 2021, are increasingly requesting judges to impose fines in addition to prison sentences to balance donations from supporters of the Capitol rioters, according to a study of court documents by the Associated Press.
Prosecutors have acknowledged nothing improper about defendants setting up Internet fundraising efforts to help with legal expenditures. Since many of the accused have had government-funded legal representation, the Justice Department has occasionally raised concerns about the true use of the funds.
Most of these campaigns can be found on GiveSendGo, which promotes itself as “The #1 Free Christian Fundraising Site” and has become a safe haven for those originally banned from utilizing popular crowdfunding platforms like GoFundMe on January 6. Even as they make deals to plead guilty and assist authorities, the rioters frequently declare their innocence and portray themselves as victims of government oppression.
Their ability to raise money demonstrates that many Americans maintain the false assumption that Democrats plotted to steal the 2020 presidential election from Donald Trump. The idea has been bolstered by the previous president’s promise to pardon rioters if he is re-elected.
More than $16,000 was gathered for Markus Maly’s family through an internet campaign that referred to him as a “January 6 P.O.W.” Maly is a Virginia man due to be sentenced next month for attacking police at the Capitol. Although a public defender represented Maly at no cost to himself, prosecutors have asked for a punishment of $16,000 or more.
An increasing government effort to prohibit rioters from personally profiting from an act that rattled the foundations of American democracy.
According to court documents, prosecutors believe it is inappropriate for the defendant to “capitalize” on his involvement in the Capitol breach by using the fame he has achieved due to his criminal activities.
According to the A.P.’s count, prosecutors have sought fines totaling over $390,000 from at least 21 riot suspects this year. These fines have ranged from $450 to over $71,000.
This year, judges have fined at least $124,127 amongst 33 riot suspects. Over the prior two years, over a hundred riot defendants were fined over $240,000.
To repay the nearly $2.8 million in damages to the Capitol and other expenses incurred on January 6, judges have ordered hundreds of convicted rioters to pay over $524,000.
The harshest sentences for those rioters who faced the most serious charges are finally being handed down. They are also the most active in soliciting donations, which may account for the uptick in requests for monetary penalties.
A judge earlier this month handed Nathaniel DeGrave a sentence of almost three years in prison and a fine of $25,000. Prosecutors said the Nevada man “incredibly” collected over $120,000 through GiveSendGo campaigns labeling him “Beijing Biden’s political prisoner” in “America’s Gitmo,” a reference to the detention facility at Guantánamo Bay.
Despite “seeking to cooperate with the government and admitting he and his co-conspirators were guilty since at least November 2021,” the prosecutor wrote, “he did this.”
DeGrave’s attorney William Shipley, who has also represented more than two dozen other January 6 offenders, said his clients should not raise money as a political prisoners if they want to enter a guilty plea.
They have every right to scream from the rooftops that the only reason they are being kept is because of politics until they admit to having committed a crime, as Shipley put it. To quote the First Amendment: “It’s just free political speech.”
An increasing government effort to prohibit rioters from personally profiting from an act that rattled the foundations of American democracy
According to Shipley, he proved to the judge that DeGrave had $25,000 more in donations than legal fees.
“I’ve never had clients that had third-party fundraising like this,” Shipley said, “so I’ve never had to do it.” “There is a section of the population that feels sorry for these accused.”
Heather Wilson, the co-founder of the crowdfunding platform GiveSendGo, explained that accepting contributions for the legal defense of those accused in the Capitol riot “is rooted in our society’s commitment to the presumption of innocence and the freedom for all individuals to hire private attorneys.”
Just over 500 defendants have been punished for offenses committed on January 6, marking a milestone in the largest federal investigation in American history and prompting the government to argue for higher punishments.
When prosecutors ask for a fine, judges are sometimes granting them.
Peter Schwartz, a guy from Kentucky who attacked Capitol police with pepper spray and a chair, was facing a fine of almost $70,000, according to prosecutors. This month, U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta gave Schwartz one of the heaviest jail terms handed down in a case involving the Capitol incident, although he did not impose a fine.
Prosecutors accuse Schwartz of trying to make money via his GoFundMe page, “Patriot Pete Political Prisoner in D.C.” However, Dennis Boyle, who represents him, claims no such proof exists.
In this case, the judge “basically said that if the money was being used for attorneys’ fees or other costs like that, there was no basis for a fine,” Boyle said.
John Strand, a cover model for romance novels, was found guilty by a jury of storming the Capitol alongside Dr. Simone Gold, a prominent California physician in the anti-vaccine movement. The judge will sentence Strand on Thursday, and prosecutors ask for a $50,000 fine and jail time.
Prosecutors claim that Strand has raised over $17,300 for his defense, even though he uses a publicly financed attorney. The fact that Strand can afford to live in a mansion that cost over $3 million indicates that he has “substantial financial means,” as the authorities have put it.
“Strand has raised, and continues to raise, money on his website based upon his false statements and misrepresentations on the events of January 6,” the prosecutors stated.
Goodwyn will be sentenced in April after appearing on Carlson’s show in March. The defense team’s attorney, Carolyn Stewart, referred to the $25,000 fine requested by prosecutors as “demanding blood from a stone.”
“He received that amount in charity to help him in the debt for legal fees for former solicitors and this for unknown reasons is bothersome to the government,” Stewart wrote.
SOURCE – (AP)
News
Katie Ledecky Hopes For Clean Races At Paris Olympics In The Aftermath Of The Chinese Doping Scandal
PARIS — Katie Ledecky is looking for clean Olympic races. On Wednesday, Hope had pretty much reached her limit.
The American swimmer hopes to add to her six gold medals as she competes in the 400, 800, and 1,500 meters at the Paris Games. Her program starts with the heavy 400 on Saturday, featuring Ariarne Titmus and Summer McIntosh.
Katie Ledecky | ESPN Image
Katie Ledecky Hopes For Clean Races At Paris Olympics In The Aftermath Of The Chinese Doping Scandal
The 27-year-old Katie is competing in her fourth Summer Olympics, but the first since a doping scandal involving almost two dozen Chinese swimmers who tested positive for a banned chemical before the Tokyo Games — yet were permitted to compete with no consequences. The controversy has raised serious worries regarding the effectiveness of anti-doping initiatives.
Katie Ledecky | Vogue Image
“I hope everyone here is going to be competing clean this week,” Ledecky claimed. “But what truly counts is, were they training cleanly? Hopefully this has been the case. Hopefully, there has been worldwide testing.”
The International Olympic Committee has expressed concern over the ongoing US investigation into possible doping by Chinese swimmers. While awarding the 2034 Winter Olympics to Salt Lake City on Wednesday, the IOC urged Utah officials to do whatever they could to stop the FBI investigation.
“I think everyone’s heard what the athletes think,” Katie added. “They seek transparency. They want more answers to the remaining questions. At this point, we are here to race. We are going to race whoever is in the lane next to us.
“We are not paid to conduct the tests, so we trust those who follow their regulations. That applies both today and in the future.
Katie Ledecky | ESPN Image
Katie Ledecky Hopes For Clean Races At Paris Olympics In The Aftermath Of The Chinese Doping Scandal
SOURCE | AP
As the summer holidays begin, London may experience an official heatwave with temperatures reaching up to 29 degrees Celsius.
The Met Office predicts a long period of sunny and dry weather for London after a soggy spring and summer.
After a cloudy day on Saturday, temperatures are expected to reach 27C on Sunday, with lots of sunlight.
On Monday and Tuesday, temperatures are forecast to peak at 29 degrees Celsius. Monday is forecast to offer more sunlight, while Tuesday may see some gloomy weather.
Temperatures are expected to remain in the high 20s next week, with lows of approximately 18C.
According to the Met Office, a heatwave is “an extended period of hot weather relative to the expected conditions of the area at that time of year, which may be accompanied by high humidity.”
In the United Kingdom, a heatwave is proclaimed when daily temperatures meet or surpass a certain level for at least three consecutive days.
In London, the heatwave threshold is 28 degrees Celsius.
The Met Office reported that the UK is experiencing hotter and wetter weather on average due to climate change.
The UK experienced its warmest May and April on record this year, despite damp and dismal conditions in many areas.
According to the Met Office’s State Of The UK Climate 2023 report published on Thursday, the UK experienced historic levels of extreme weather last year.
In the United Kingdom, 2023 was the second warmest year on record, bringing storms, flooding, strong heatwaves, and rising sea levels; only 2022 was warmer.
It was 0.8°C higher than the average from 1991 to 2020, and 1.66°C higher than the 1961 to 1990 average.
However, 2023 will be a “cool year” in comparison to 2100, based on the planet’s warming trajectory.
The government’s plan to adapt to the hazards presented by climate change is currently being challenged in the High Court by campaigners who allege the Tory administration’s July 2023 National Adaptation Programme (NAP) fails to adequately address 61 concerns.
Source: The Standard
(VOR News) – The European Union’s medical regulator has granted approval to Wegovy, a blockbuster weight loss treatment manufactured by Novo Nordisk, in order to expand its application to include the reduction of major heart events in overweight or obese adults.
In order to expand the scope of the medication’s applicability, this authorisation was granted. The purpose of obtaining this approval was to broaden the medicine’s application.
The Danish pharmaceutical company announced on Thursday that the European Medical Agency has formulated a “positive opinion” regarding the label’s expansion.
The agency made this determination after conducting a comprehensive examination of the results of a SELECT study that was subjected to rigorous monitoring. Other applications of the substance are facilitated by this conclusion.
The SELECT experiment, which was financed by Novo Nordisk and published in August 2023.
Wegovy and Ozempic contain semaglutide as the active ingredient.
Reduced the risk of major cardiovascular events by twenty percent when compared to a placebo. The researchers arrived at this conclusion. This realisation was the outcome of the researchers’ investigation.
The notion that the European Medicines Agency label for Wegovy should be amended is a significant step forward for patients who are coping with cardiovascular disease and obesity, according to Martin Holst Lange, executive vice president and director of development at Novo Nordisk.
The company’s statement, which was disclosed, indicated that the recommendation to update the label is a substantial advancement.
It is evident that Wegovy has the potential to save lives by reducing the likelihood of significant adverse cardiovascular events, as evidenced by the findings of the SELECT research. An additional benefit of participating in this exercise is that it helps individuals effectively manage their weight, which is a benefit in and of itself.
The company also stated that the label update incorporates data from the SELECT trial, which showed a 15% reduction in the risk of death from cardiovascular causes and a 19% reduction in the risk of death from any cause when compared to situations in which a placebo was used in conjunction with the product.
The SELECT trial was conducted in the United States, according to the company. Furthermore, the organisation disclosed that the SELECT investigation was conducted in the United States of America.
It is anticipated that the label amendment will be implemented within the next month, as per the statement issued by Novo Nordisk.
Wegovy has also been approved for use in the United States.
Similarly, the UK medical regulator has taken similar actions. The United Kingdom on Tuesday granted its clearance for the use of Wegovy to reduce the risk of significant cardiac difficulties or strokes in adults who are overweight or obese, such as heart attacks or strokes.
The Food and Drug Administration of the United States of America granted sanction for the medicine to be used in specific applications during the month of March.
This resulted in a rise in the number of distinct applications for the highly popular treatment, which coincides with the sector’s increasing level of competition.
On Thursday, Roche, a global pharmaceutical company with its headquarters in Switzerland, announced that its Wegovy competitor weight reduction tablets will be incorporated into a collection of pharmaceuticals designed to mitigate the adverse effects of obesity.
The pharmaceutical collection will encompass a diverse selection of weight loss medications.
The company’s Chief Executive Officer, Thomas Schinecker, conveyed his satisfaction with the exceptional early-stage trial results of the two potential weight-reduction pharmaceuticals that the company is currently developing. In addition, he asserted that these medications demonstrated the “best in disease potential.”
In making this assertion, Schinecker was alluding to the fact that the medications exhibited the “best in disease potential.” He also stated that they will be a part of a more comprehensive portfolio that is intended to set the Swiss company apart from its competitors in the growing obesity therapy market.
This adds insult to injury. This strategy will be implemented in order to distinguish the Swiss company from other businesses in the market.
SOURCE: CNBC
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