TerrorismPa. man sentenced to 8 ½ years for running a terrorism-promoting Internet forum
A western Pennsylvania man has been sentenced to eight and a half years in prison for leading an Internet forum which promoted terrorist attacks against American military and civilian targets. Emerson Begolly, 24, of Redbank Township was also convicted of having a concealed gun and biting an FBI agent when he was arrested in 2011.
A western Pennsylvania man has been sentenced to eight and a half years in prison for leading an Internet forum which promoted terrorist attacks against American military and civilian targets.
Emerson Begolly, 24, of Redbank Township was also convicted of having a concealed gun and biting an FBI agent when he was arrested in 2011.
The Washington Post quotes Begolly’s public defender Marketa Sims to say that his rants were mostly meant to attract attention from others on the forum and were not serious threats, but Sims and Begolly acknowledged the comments may have influenced others to commit acts of violence.
U.S. Assistant Attorney Jimmy Kitchen said Begolly’s willingness to kill and be killed was acknowledged one of his posts.
“If I have the choice between 12 jurors and six pallbearers, I’ll choose the latter any day,” said one of the posts on the site.
Kitchen also noted that when FBI agents attempted to apprehend Begolly, he bit one of the agents and tried to pull out the 9mm pistol he was carrying in his jacket.
Sims argued that the agents scared Begolly into reacting violently when they sneaked up on him at a drive thru to arrest him, but Kitchen said Begolly’s posts proved he may be a risk and needed to be taken seriously.
Before he was sentenced, Begolly apologized for his posts, telling Senior U.S. District Judge Maurice Cohill Jr. that his comments were “completely reckless. No good would have come from making such comments.”
“All I want to do is pursue a path of peace and righteousness,” Begolly continued. “I feel I’ve learned my lesson and I feel I don’t want to make jail a revolving door for myself.”
Both the defense and the prosecution agree Begolly is a socially inept outcast who has fought autism and mental health issues since he was a child.
Begolly originally pleaded guilty to the charges in exchange for a 15-year term, and prosecutors sought that sentence under a memorandum filed last week. U.S. Attorney David Hickton did not say why prosecutors agreed to a lesser sentence, but it could be because Begolly cooperated with the FBI, which led to the agency convicting others who frequented the forum.
