PAY IT FORWARD

Jan. 6 Rioters Raised Thousands in Donations—Prosecutors Want to Take It Away

Prosecutors are opposed to the way some defenders are trying to “capitalize” on their crimes.

Prosecutors are increasingly asking judges to impose fines on top of prison sentences for convicted Jan. 6 rioters—many of whom raised thousands of dollars on conservative crowdfunding site GiveSendGo under the guise of legal fee fundraising. But, as an Associated Press investigation highlights, prosecutors have noted that many of those raising money are using free public defenders, raising questions as to where these donations are truly going. An example of this predicament, according to the AP, is Markus Maly, a Virginia man whose sentencing is scheduled next month. Maly raised more than $16,000 in donations from an online campaign in which he dubbed himself a prisoner of war. Since he had a public defender and owed no legal fees, though, prosecutors have requested at least a $16,000 fine be tacked on to his punishment. “He should not be able to use his own notoriety gained in the commission of his crimes to ‘capitalize’ on his participation in the Capitol breach in this way,” a prosecutor wrote in court records.