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A comment on GitHub deleted accounts of people who contributed to Tornado Cash repos. Parent comment

Re:GitHub deleted accounts of people who contributed to Torn... by akiselev on Tuesday August 09, 2022 @03:56PM (#32403389)
Actual prison time wasn't on the table until the federal prosecutors took over and tried to make an example of him [1]. Until then, everyone expected a slap on the wrist.

I remember those events clearly and even JSTOR, the "victim" in the case, backpedaled on the prosecution before he committed suicide. He was driven to suicide by an overzealous federal prosecutor trying to make a career for themselves.

[1] https://www.cnet.com/tech/tech-industry/swartz-didnt-face-pr...

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Re:GitHub deleted accounts of people who contributed to Torn... by tiahura on Tuesday August 09, 2022 @04:53PM (#32404136)
He made the choice. No one else.

Or, if you blame the prosecutor for driving him, do you also blame his friends and family for not being supportive enough?

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Re:GitHub deleted accounts of people who contributed to Torn... by ETH_start on Tuesday August 09, 2022 @10:00PM (#32407094)
The primary responsibility falls on the prosecutor. The prison sentence they sought for Swartz was not by any stretch justified. This injustice seriously endangered not just Swartz's mental health, but his prospects for a fulfilling life, even had he lived.
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Re:GitHub deleted accounts of people who contributed to Torn... by tiahura on Wednesday August 10, 2022 @12:50PM (#32415009)
A prosecutor doesn’t seek a sentence until after the defendant is found guilty.

Moreover, judges don’t care about prosecutors or what they think. And, sentences are largely determined by sentencing guidelines.

Rich white kids with no prior convictions don’t go to prison for stealing library books.

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Re:GitHub deleted accounts of people who contributed to Torn... by ETH_start on Thursday August 11, 2022 @12:34AM (#32421629)
The prosecutors choose the charges, and did not have to choose charges that carried a maximum sentence of 35 years, which is almost a death sentence.
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Re:GitHub deleted accounts of people who contributed to Torn... by dcow on Thursday August 11, 2022 @07:03PM (#32432907)
What judge would have given the max sentence for this case?
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Re:GitHub deleted accounts of people who contributed to Torn... by ETH_start on Thursday August 11, 2022 @08:55PM (#32433666)
The judge doesn't have to give the max sentence for the charges the prosecutor chooses impacting the sentence given.
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Re:GitHub deleted accounts of people who contributed to Torn... by loktarogar on Tuesday August 09, 2022 @05:11PM (#32404386)
No-one exists in a vacuum.
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