Family of man who threatened to kill President Obama and Rep. Maxine Waters begs for leniency in sentencing
The family and legal counsel for Stephen Taubert, who threatened the lives of President Barack Obama and Rep. Maxine Waters, has asked for leniency and requested home detention and probation as his sentence.
Taubert, 61, was found guilty of targeting prominent Black Democratic leaders because of their race in March. In response, his family insists that he merely “likes to provoke” and cites the First Amendment as protection of what has been deemed a crime.
Syrcause.com states Taubert does not have a history of violence and those who are hoping he receives a lighter sentence want the threats to be viewed just as words and not actual plans to harm.
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Taubert’s threats were not limited to President Obama and Rep. Waters, it appears that in the past he also targeted the Quicken Loans Arena, the home of the Cleveland Cavaliers, along with a former mayor of Syracuse and an NAACP office.
Court documents reveal a lawyer for Taubert noted that his client has not received steady treatment for his mental illness, and has undiagnosed autism, in addition to the diagnosed schizophrenia, anxiety and adjustment disorder.
A three-day trial in March resulted in the conviction for retaliating against a federal official, threatening in interstate commerce and threats against a former president, which could result in a maximum sentence of 20 years behind bars. However, it seems likely that he will receive three to five years in prison.
In his phoned threats, Taubert used racial slurs as he stated he would kill Waters and her entire staff. He did the same when he threatened to hang President Obama.
The post Family of man who threatened to kill President Obama and Rep. Maxine Waters begs for leniency in sentencing appeared first on theGrio.
from theGrio https://on.thegrio.com/2DASHcG
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