A federal jury has convicted Douglass “Ricky Vaughn” Mackey of election interference during the 2016 presidential race. The jury deemed Mackey guilty of conspiracy against rights after prosecutors said he used social media to spread false information that residents could vote via text for Hillary Clinton in an effort to sway the election towards Donald Trump. “Avoid the Line. Vote from Home. Text ‘Hillary’ to 59925,” one of Mackey’s fraudulent ads read. Mackey’s Twitter account had 58,000 followers, and nearly 5,000 individuals texted the number listed on or around election day, according to federal prosecutors. Other ads particularly targeted Black voters, TheNew York Times reports. “The key is to drive up turnout with non-college whites, and limit black turnout,” Mackey wrote on Twitter under a psuedonym, according to the Times. The charge carries a maximum sentence of 10 years.
