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Watching The Cops Title: Founder of CopBlock.org gets jail for wiretapping 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.
Poster Comment: A New Hampshire blogger who last year was acquitted in Greenfield District Court of charges that he illegally filmed inside the Franklin County Jail was found guilty on Monday in Manchester, N.H. on charges that he recorded conversations with three public officials without their permission. 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, Im 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. Post Comment Private Reply Ignore Thread |
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