A California man accused of organizing a group of Jan. 6 rioters, participating in the riots and attempting to destroy evidence of his involvement was sentenced to more than four years in prison on Tuesday, the Justice Department announced.

Edward Badalian was convicted of conspiracy and obstruction of an official proceeding in April. He was sentenced to four years and three months in prison and was ordered to pay $2,000 in restitution.

Prosecutors allege that Badalian used a Telegram group chat named “PATRIOTS45MAGA Gang” to encourage violence against political enemies, and at one point said he wanted to arrest President Biden.

  • @[email protected]
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    439 months ago

    Slap on the wrist. What a joke of a sentence, especially considering he obstructed and destroyed evidence.

  • magnetosphere
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    279 months ago

    Badalian’s efforts to cover up his Jan. 6 participation also included changing his phone number, prosecutors said.

    Remember this example of tactical brilliance the next time you hear some right wing asshole talking about a second civil war.

      • @[email protected]
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        99 months ago

        They should. They came alarmingly close to overturning democracy. Imagine a round 2 where there’s more organization.

        • Flying Squid
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          9 months ago

          They didn’t though. They came alarmingly close to overturning a performative ceremony that has no actual bearing on the election. Do you really think Trump would have become president if they had succeeded in stopping the count? It had already been counted, just not officially. That’s how stupid these people are.

          • @onionbaggage
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            9 months ago

            Saddam Hussein seized power by essentially doing this. If they’d gone in, captured Congress and executed anyone who disagreed that’s pretty much game over. I’m convinced the only reason we’re not in a full civil war today is that Trump was too lazy to lead the march over to the Capitol.

            • Flying Squid
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              59 months ago

              The votes were already counted. No number of congresspeople executed would change the results of the election. It would just put Trump in far, far, far more legal jeopardy than he’s in now and he’s in a lot.

              • @onionbaggage
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                29 months ago

                Sure. If they lost the takeover attempt.

                But there’s no magical authority that makes the election results matter. Coups happen all the time, and if they came correct and won, what then?

                • Flying Squid
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                  39 months ago

                  How would that have installed Trump as president? Who would recognize his authority? Certainly not the military.

  • plz1
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    169 months ago

    For those complaining about the short sentences many of these folks are getting, the silver lining is this is a felony on their records, forever. Decent jobs will be nearly unreachable, once they get out, and federal prison sentences has no (drastic) “released early for good behavior” crap like state ones. No “sentenced to ten years, out in 4” at the federal level.

      • Yeah. I’d rather they get proper sentences and have a chance to rehabilitate and get back to a normal and non criminal life after prison. But then again i am not American, so the whole “vengefullness over prevention and rehabilitation” seems rather stupid.

    • @[email protected]
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      49 months ago

      I mean, 4 years might be on the lighter side, but it’s honestly more than I expected for these scumbags. I’ll take it.

  • theodewere
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    19 months ago

    hope the stupid, selfish pig spends the rest of his life in and out of jail