Tue May 29, 2012, 10:57 PM

Julius Henson ordered to pay $1 million for 2010 election robocall

Source: Baltimore Sun

Political consultant Julius Henson must pay the state $1 million for putting out 112,000 robocalls intended to discourage black voters from going to the polls on Election Day 2010, a federal judge ruled Tuesday.

"Voter suppression in Maryland will not be tolerated," Attorney General Douglas F. Gansler said in a statement. "The court's opinion and damages award will hopefully make political consultants think twice before using these types of illegal dirty tricks again."

Henson violated the Telephone Consumer Protection Act with the "express purpose of suppressing the votes of a minority group in a contested statewide gubernatorial election," U.S. District Judge Catherine C. Blake wrote in a 13-page memorandum. Blake also found Henson's employee Rhonda Russell guilty in the civil case

Read more: http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/bs-md-henson-robocall-fine-20120529,0,749730.story

At least Maryland recognizes voter suppression?

7 replies, 1766 views

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7 replies	Author	Time	Post
Julius Henson ordered to pay $1 million for 2010 election robocall (Original post)	Rosa Luxemburg	May 2012	OP
He needs serious time in prison to reconsider his actions,	kestrel91316	May 2012	#1
Unfortunately it was a civil, not a criminal, case, so it's just money.	MADem	May 2012	#2
Wow. Two years later he gets a fine	Doctor_J	May 2012	#3
It shouldn't take 2 years	Rosa Luxemburg	May 2012	#6
The penalties should not be bourne only by the Republican flunkie who did the dirty work.	Judi Lynn	May 2012	#4
You would think that someone at the top would have authorized it?	Rosa Luxemburg	May 2012	#7
Rec'd	dipsydoodle	May 2012	#5

Response to Rosa Luxemburg (Original post)

Tue May 29, 2012, 11:16 PM

kestrel91316 (45,431 posts)

1. He needs serious time in prison to reconsider his actions,

and permanent loss of HIS OWN voting rights.

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Response to kestrel91316 (Reply #1)

Tue May 29, 2012, 11:52 PM

MADem (86,137 posts)

2. Unfortunately it was a civil, not a criminal, case, so it's just money.

Last edited Tue May 29, 2012, 11:55 PM USA/ET - Edit history (1)

But he did get convicted in a separate criminal case on one count of conspiracy--he might do time for that...?

In a separate criminal case, Henson was found guilty earlier this month on a single conspiracy count stemming from the 2010 robocalls. He had been acquitted on three of the four election fraud charges he faced.

Smith has said Henson will seek a retrial on the conviction.

Henson faces sentencing June 13 on the conspiracy count for failing to include an authority line on the call, which would have altered recipients that it was paid for by Erhlich's campaign. He faces up to a year in prison and a $1,000 fine in that case.

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Response to Rosa Luxemburg (Original post)

Wed May 30, 2012, 02:53 PM

Doctor_J (26,390 posts)

3. Wow. Two years later he gets a fine

I bet he's

.

These penalties need to be much more immediate and much more of a deterrence.

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Response to Doctor_J (Reply #3)

Thu May 31, 2012, 12:09 AM

Rosa Luxemburg (22,020 posts)

6. It shouldn't take 2 years

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Response to Rosa Luxemburg (Original post)

Wed May 30, 2012, 03:17 PM

Judi Lynn (77,643 posts)

4. The penalties should not be bourne only by the Republican flunkie who did the dirty work.

God knows he's not the one who "hatched" the plan, but he clearly was only too happy to stab a whole lot of people in the backs, ethically, for the right-wing.

Paul E. Schurick, campaign manager for republican Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr.

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Response to Judi Lynn (Reply #4)

Thu May 31, 2012, 08:17 PM

Rosa Luxemburg (22,020 posts)

7. You would think that someone at the top would have authorized it?

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Response to Rosa Luxemburg (Original post)

Wed May 30, 2012, 03:18 PM

dipsydoodle (32,679 posts)

5. Rec'd

what a dispicable pos.

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