LF: Founder of CopBlock.org gets jail for wiretapping

Title: Founder of CopBlock.org gets jail for wiretapping
Source: PoliceOne
URL Source: http://www.policeone.com/correction ... org-gets-jail-for-wiretapping/
Published: Aug 15, 2012
Author: PoliceOne Staff
Post Date: 2012-08-15 16:03:37 by Hondo68
Keywords: less than three months, T-shirt promoting videotaping, a maximum of 21 years
Views: 626

Anti-law enforcement activist secretly recording conversations with police that were used in a video report posted to the site

MANCHESTER, N.H. — The founder of CopBlock.org was found guilty Monday of three felony wiretapping counts for secretly recording conversations with police that were used in a video report posted to the site.

Representing himself at trial, Adam "Ademo" Mueller, 30, told jurors he was seeking "jury nullification" of the state wiretapping law, which states all parties must agree to the recording of conversations.

"The defendant doesn't want to follow the law," Assistant County Attorney Michael Valentine said. "He's essentially asking you to join him in not following the law."

The recordings were made in October in connection to Officer Darren Murphy's arrest of a West High School student, 17, who acted disorderly during a dispute in the cafeteria. Mueller's video used cell phone footage from a student who school officials say wore a T-shirt promoting videotaping police instead of talking to them.

At the time of the trial, Mueller was approaching the end of a 60-day sentence for resisting arrest after chalking messages on the walls of the Police Department, The Boston Globe reported.

Mueller faced a maximum of 21 years in prison for the wiretapping charges, but was sentenced to just less than three months.

Photo courtesy of CopBlock.org
Adam "Ademo" Mueller, who was acquitted a year ago in Greenfield for illegally recording officials at the Franklin County House of Correction, was found guilty in Manchester, N.H. on three counts of illegal wiretapping public officials.

Adam “Ademo” Mueller, a founding member of a police accountability blog called CopBlock.org, was found guilty in Hillsborough County Superior Court to three counts of illegal wiretapping, according to the New Hampshire Union Leader.

He was charged with illegally recording phone conversations with a Manchester police captain, and the principal and a secretary of Manchester High School without their consent.

Mueller called them for comments about a video of a student being arrested and handcuffed at the high school that was posted on the CopBlock website. Portions of the telephone calls were also posted on the website. He maintained that he told each person they were being recorded, but they maintained they were not.

Mueller, who represented himself at his trial, argued that the wiretapping law should not apply to recording public officials.

"I know I didn't cause them any harm — physical or otherwise," Mueller told jurors, stressing he called them while they were at their public jobs.

He was given a sentence of one to three years with all but 90 days suspended on one of the illegal wiretapping counts. For the other two counts, he received suspended sentences of one to three years but is required to attend counseling and stay out of trouble.

Mueller, who also goes by the name “Ademo Freeman,” was in custody before his trial started, nearing the end of a 60-day sentence for resisting arrest after chalking messages on the Manchester Police Department building 14 months ago.

Asked by Hillsborough Superior Court Judge Kenneth Brown if he wanted to be delay sentencing, Mueller replied, “I’m already in jail. We might as well get it over with.“

He also told the judge he had no regrets about what he did, and that locking him up would not deter him from being an activist.

"I don't think jails were built for people who make phone calls or chalk buildings," he said.

The jury deliberated for about 50 minutes before returning with the guilty verdict.

File photo | The Republican
A large group of supporters were on hand outside the Greenfield District Courthouse for the July 19, 2011illegal wiretapping trial of Pete Eyre and Adam Mueller. Eyre and Mueller, founders of the police watchdog organization CopBlock.org, were acquitted.

On July 19, 2011, Mueller and co-defendant Pete Eyre were acquitted by a Greenfield District Court jury on similar charges of illegal wiretapping stemming from an unrelated incident in Greenfield.

They were charged with using a video camera the previous July to record officials at the Franklin County House of Correction, where they had gone to bail out a friend.

Eyre and Mueller testified that when they went first went to the jail to inquire about bail, they were told they could film the process. When they returned a short-time later with the bail money
and began filming, they were told it was not permitted on jail property.

They refused and when police arrived and demanded they shut off the camera, they refused again and were arrested.

Jail officials were unable to show any written policies precluding filming at the facility. Nor were there any posted signs explicitly prohibiting the use of recording devices at the jail.

In the Greenfield trial, it took the jury about 2 hours to reach the verdict of not guilty.